


I, Will Byers, Am Not A Victim

by WillByersFan



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Good Sibling Jonathan Byers, Happy Will Byers, POV First Person, POV Will Byers, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper Friendship, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler Fight, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler Friendship, Will Byers Has Nightmares, Will Byers Has PTSD, Will Byers Has Powers, Will Byers Is Not Okay, Will Byers Needs a Hug, Will Byers-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 49
Words: 33,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25131688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillByersFan/pseuds/WillByersFan
Summary: A few days after Eleven closed the gate in Season 2, Will Byers is dealing with the aftermath of everything that happened to him over the course of the last year (Seasons 1 & 2). He is now feeling guilty over the deaths he caused when he was possessed by the Mind Flayer and the fact that he has needed to be saved multiple times. He feels like a victim and a burden to his family and friends.In addition to that, he has been getting visions in his sleep that have revealed a horrifying secret about his past. Now, the gate has been reopened, and it is up to him, with his newly discovered powers and the help of Eleven, to close it, learn about his past, save Hawkins, face his demons, and prove to himself and everybody else that he is not a victim. This is his chance to be the hero he has always wanted to be.
Relationships: Jonathan Byers & Will Byers, Joyce Byers & Will Byers, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Will Byers & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & The Party
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fiction, so please be kind. Keep in mind that this story is all from Will's perspective. The first few chapters go over how he felt during the first couple of seasons, but after that, we go into the original story. This focuses on his emotional growth, friendships, family relationships, and newly discovered powers. This particular story will not focus on romantic relationships.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the introductory chapter, and it focuses all on Will's mindset right after being set free from the Mind Flayer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just the first chapter. The later chapters will be longer.

“I, Will Byers, am not a victim.” I try to tell this to myself every day, but I'm not sure I believe it. I've been through more in 13 years than most people go through in their entire lives. There were two separate occasions where I thought I was going to die, where I was ready to die, but here I am, expected to live my life as if nothing happened.

I come from a good home. Well, as good as can be expected when your dad skips town and leaves your mother to take care of you and your older brother. They would, and have, done anything for me.

I have three great friends as well, especially one, Mike Wheeler. Our friendship goes all the way back to kindergarten. The others joined later, but I have always been closest to him. I can tell him anything and I trust him more than anybody else. He looks out for me, and I have always had his back.

Despite having family and friends, I have felt like more of a burden than anything else. I have had to be rescued from danger multiple times by my family, friends, a friend with super powers, and the chief of police, but just once, I'd like to be the hero. I owe so much to them, and wonder if I am even worth saving.


	2. The Upside Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gets lost in the Upside Down. This is a recap of Season 1 from his perspective.

The first time I got in trouble was a little over a year ago. I had just played a game of Dungeons and Dragons with my three closest friends. In that game, my character fell victim to the Demogorgon, a powerful, evil demon from an alternate dimension. I had no idea that this fictional scenario would become a reality, but that's what happened.

I rode my bike home, beating my friend Dustin in a race, until I noticed that something was chasing me. I didn't know what it was, but it didn't even seem human. I tried going home, but I couldn't find anyone. I tried calling 9-1-1, but I couldn't finish the call because I saw whatever was chasing me, and I needed to get away. I raced to the shed and picked up my father's old shotgun. I loaded it up, ready to shoot, but before I knew it, I found myself in a cold, dark world. It was like the real world, only cold, dark, and for the most part, empty.

I don't remember much about this world, the one that is referred to as “the upside down,” probably because I have been trying to repress that memory as much as I can. For most of my time there, I felt no hope, and I was faced with the likelihood that I was going to die there. I briefly saw a girl that was about my age, with a shaved head, but she vanished as quickly as she appeared. Thanks to my resourcefulness, I found some ways of communicating with the outside world, through walkie talkies that my friends and I use, the phone, and lights. Those means of communication where limited, and I was always on the run from the Demogorgon.

I remember communicating with my mother through the lights. She has always been resourceful as well, and this was no exception. She hung up Christmas lights and painted each letter of the alphabet, allowing me to spell out what I was trying to say. Unfortunately, I had no clue on how to describe where I was, and before I knew it, the Demogorgon was closing in on me. It found a way to reach the outside world. I could have taken that opportunity to get home, but doing so would have put my mother at risk of being attacked, so I lured it away, keeping her safe, but preventing me from getting out.

After that, I could hear what sounded like a eulogy and discovered that it was mine! A body washed up, and everybody, or so it seemed, thought it was mine. I couldn't believe it. Am I dead? Is this the afterlife? No. I wasn't dead. At least, I didn't think so. Thankfully, I was able to convince my mother that I was not dead, but I was still trapped.

That was the first of two times that I had a chance to get back to the real world. The other time, Mike's older sister, Nancy, was in the upside down, and the Demogorgon was preparing to attack her. I had to distract it, which I did by throwing a rock. It did the job and Nancy was safe, but I lost my opportunity to get home.

I have always been told that I put the needs of others over myself. Perhaps that is my problem. If I had taken either of those opportunities to get home, I would be safe, but here I was, in a situation that would probably cost me my life.

I don't remember how long I spent there, but I knew that if I didn't find a way home soon, I was history. I laid hopelessly in my fort, Castle Byers, and, to my surprise, I saw that girl from before. I never saw her before entering this strange place, but something about her was familiar.

“Will. Your mom. She's coming for you,” she said.

“H-h-hurry,” I weakly replied.

“Just. Just hold on a little longer. Will. Will.” That was the last thing I remember before falling asleep.

Next thing I know, I'm being carried away by one of the Demogorgons. I tried to get away, but I was exhausted, and it was too strong for me, and I felt truly helpless. Just when I thought that things couldn't get any worse, a large vine went directly to my face, aiming for my mouth. I did everything I could, but it broke into my mouth and went down my throat. I tried pulling it out and getting away, but I was too weak from everything I had been through. I couldn't breathe, no matter how hard I tried. I had fought so hard to stay alive, but it was all for nothing, because I was going to die right there. That was my last thought before I blacked out; I didn't think I would ever wake up.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital bed, where my mother and brother, Jonathan, were. They were so happy and relieved to see me, alive and breathing. I also saw my friends, who had waited a long time to see me. I was so happy to see everyone, and at the time, I believed that I was safe, but this was only the beginning of the hell that I would endure.


	3. The Mind Flayer Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first half of Season 2 from Will's perspective.

Around Christmas time, which was a month and a half after my ordeal, I started getting brief flashes of the upside down and then coming back. One time, I threw up a slug. I chose to hide this from my friends and family. I figured that I scared them enough, and that this was a problem I could deal with myself. I was wrong.

This only got worse over time, but I kept it to myself. Brief moments in the upside down got longer, and I noticed a large, terrifying creature with an octopus-like head and four tentacles along with a horrifying storm, turning the sky red. The following Halloween, while trick-or-treating with my friends, I had another episode, worse than the previous ones. I screamed for Mike, but there were no people around, and I was terrified. Before I knew it, it was over, and I was on the ground,holding my knees, cradled with fear.

"Will! What's wrong?! I couldn't find you. Are you hurt? I'm gonna get you home okay" Mike said in a worried tone. He was such a good friend, so when we got back to his house, I told him everything. I thought I was going crazy. He promised me that he wouldn't let the monster get tome, and that if I go crazy, the two of us can go crazy together.

The next day, my mom's boyfriend, Bob, who was driving me to school that day, advised me to stand up for myself. This is something that I have always had trouble with, like when I was being bullied. His advice, while well meaning, did not work out well. Next time I saw the monster, I screamed "go away!" but it made its way inside me, and that was the start of my true hell.

Over the next few days, things only got worse. My mother saw this episode, and when she took me home, I lied, claiming that I didn't remember anything. That's when she made me promise not to keep this a secret any longer. I told her everything, but it was too late. The monster had gotten me, and I was slowly getting possessed. I felt it everywhere, and I couldn't stop it.

My temperature was low, but I couldn't do anything about it, and I developed memories that I never had before. The demon inside of me was slowly taking control, forcing me to keep myself cold. Chief Hopper came over as well, but I couldn't describe what was happening. I could, however, draw it. Using up all of the paper and then some, I drew what ended up being a map of the upside down. I don't even know how I did it, but it was accurate. Mike came over later, but even he couldn't help me.

The next events that happened were so horrifying that it hurts me to even describe it. Somehow, I knew that Hopper was in trouble and where to find him; it's hard to explain how I got that information, but I just knew it. We got there, and I was right. He was saved, but a group of people from Hawkins lab spotted us and used a flamethrower to burn vines from the upside down.

As that happened, my body started burning from the inside as well. I never knew true pain until this happened. I fell to the ground, convulsing, like I was having a seizure, but this was no seizure; all the pain that the creatures from the Upside Down felt, I could feel as well. My mother, Hopper, Bob, and Mike all tried to help me, but there was nothing they could do. This pain felt infinite and eternal. I did not expect to get out of this alive.

Somehow, I made it to the hospital alive. My body temperature went up to 106 and my heart rate sky-rocketed to 222 BPM. At the moment, I could barely see or hear anything, and all I could do was scream at the top of my lungs. They sedated me, offering me some relief for the time being.

By the time I woke up, I felt myself losing control. I don't know how, but I couldn't remember some of the people that I had known, like Hopper, Bob, and Dr. Owens. They tested my memory, and the only people that I recognized where Mom and Mike. I struggled to control myself, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. The demon inside of me, that is referred to as the Mind Flayer, was taking over. He wanted to know where I was and where the doctors were; I tried to fight it, but he got the information out of me. This resulted in the deaths of numerous doctors and scientists; I have been told that this wasn't my fault, but I still can't help feeling responsible.


	4. The Mind Flayer Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the second half of Season 2 from Will's perspective. After this chapter, the original story will begin.

Next, Mike ran into my room and told everyone that they needed to make me sleep because I caused the deaths of the doctors and I would kill them next. I didn't even recognize him anymore and I barely recognized my mom. I fought, protested, and screamed, but they held me down and sedated me, knocking me out. I understand why this was necessary, but I can still remember all the confusion and fear I felt at the time; and I know it was breaking my mom and Mike's heart seeing me like that.

Next thing I remember is waking up in a room I had never seen before, with huge, bright lights. I was tied up. The Mind Flayer made it so I couldn't recognize anyone. I desperately tried to free myself, and screamed to be let go, but that wasn't going to happen. I didn't know what was happening to me, or who was there with me. All I knew was that I was in grave danger, and there was nothing I could do about it. I can't blame everyone for doing what they did, and I can't honestly say I disagree with it, but that is a pain that still sticks with me.

"WHY AM I TIED UP?! I screamed. "WHY AM I TIED UP? WHY AM I TIED UP?" "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" My mom, Jonathan, and Mike were falling apart as they saw me screaming and struggling to free myself. This was traumatizing for both of us.

Mike, Jonathan, and my mom told me of their favorite memories of me in an effort to get me back, like my birthday party, when Jonathan and I built Castle Byers after my dad left, and when Mike and I first met and became friends in kindergarten. It did work, and I was starting to regain my memories, but when I tried to speak, I couldn't do it. I may have had my memories back, but the Mind Flayer had almost full control of my body. I was on the verge of tears from what everyone told me, but he wouldn't let me speak, no matter how much I wanted to.

"Let me go," was what came out of my mouth, but they were his words, not mine, and I was just his puppet. I had so many things I wanted to say, but I couldn't say it. I wanted to tell Jonathan that he's the best big brother I could ever ask for. I wanted to tell Mike that his friendship meant everything to me, and that agreeing to be his bestfriend in kindergarten was not only the best thing he'd ever done, but the best thing I've done too. I wanted to thank my mom for all that she's done for me. Being unable to say any of that was, and still is, the worst moment in my life. I was in there, but I had no control over most of my body, and I was a helpless spectator as I was about to watch everyone I've ever cared about die.

I came up with an idea. I could use Morse code, and the Mind Flayer would not notice it. I learned about it years ago and thought it was stupid and useless; I was wrong. I could only hope that somebody would notice. Thankfully, Hopper did, and I sent the message I needed to send.

There was no way I would be able to say everything I wanted to say through Morse code, but I could tell them what they needed to know to stop this monster. H-E-R-E was my first message. C-L-O-S-E G-A-T-E was what I told everyone. The only benefit to being possessed was that I knew the only way to stop this monster.

I also knew that if this gate were to close while I was possessed, I might die, but that was a sacrifice I was willing to make; I still haven't told anybody about that part. My mere existence was not only putting my friends and family in danger, but all of Hawkins, and possibly the entire world. There is no way I would ever want to live as a puppet anyway. I didn't know sure for if it would kill me or not, but I was ready to die once again.

Next, something horrible happened. The phone rang. I wished that it hadn't happened, and that it wouldn't alert me, and by extension, the Mind Flayer, of where I was, but I knew all too well where I was being held. I was helpless in stopping the Mind Flayer from learning that information.I was put to sleep once again, and I did not think I would ever wakeup. Hell, I didn't even to wake up considering the situation.

I did wake up, in yet another unfamiliar place, with my arms and legs restrained. It was hot. Very hot. I was surrounded by heaters and a fire. I could see my mother, Jonathan, and Nancy. I immediately knew what they were planning. The pain from the heat was excruciating, but not as much physically as it was mentally. I could see the pain and distress on my mother's face as I writhed in pain. Jonathan was hurting so bad that he couldn't even look at me.

"Stop. You're killing him!" he screamed, but my mom said to wait a little longer. I wanted to tell him that I would be okay, but I couldn't even do that. I'd rather die than see my family in such pain. "This is all my fault," I thought to myself. I wondered if I was even worth saving. I had been responsible for so much pain and grief, and it might have been better if I had just died.

As if things couldn't get any worse, they did. My arm broke free from my restraints and I started choking my mother. I had no control over my actions, but I was aware the entire time, and I could feel everything. The Mind Flayer was forcing me to kill my own mother. Nancy poked me with a hot rod, forcing me to let go. This left a scar on my chest, but if it saved my mother, it was well worth it. I was actually grateful for that pain.

Before I knew it, the Mind Flayer flew out of me and then out of the cabin. Mom and Jonathan came in to check on me. I was so weak, sweaty, and horse from screaming, but I was alive.

"Mom?" I said in a volume barely above a whisper. She and Jonathan hugged me tight as I cried. I had done horrible, unspeakable things, but their embrace made me, ever so briefly, feel safe and secure.


	5. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will deals with the aftermath of the first two seasons, including bad dreams. He talks with his mother about his feelings and what his recurring dreams could mean.

Now, this is the aftermath. I have to live with the fact that my actions caused the death of several people, including Bob, who had been killed by Demodogs, who were Demogorgons that looked like dogs. He was in a relationship with my mom, and he made her happy. If it hadn't been for me, or if I had died in the upside down, he would still alive, but now she is alone once again. I ruined her chance to be happy. Jonathan, Mike, Hopper, and even my mother tell me it's not my fault, but I can't help feeling that it is.

If I hadn't been so weak, I wouldn't have gotten trapped in the upside-down, and I wouldn't have gotten possessed by the Mind Flayer. I am a burden on my family, friends, and all of Hawkins. I have always wanted to help people, but all I've done is hurt them. So many bad things have happened to me. Am I unlucky, an easy target, or is there another reason why these things keep happening to me?

Most nights, I get nightmares. They usually involve being trapped in the Upside Down, my friends and family trapped there, or the Mind Flayer making me kill them. I wake up in a cold sweat most days, but I don't usually tell my family about them. They have dealt with enough of my problems, and I don't need anyone feeling any more sympathy for me.

There is one recurring dream that I've been having that makes no sense tome. It involves my mother, a young child, and some men taking the child away. I know it's not real, but it feels real to me. The dreams of the upside down make sense because of my experiences, but I don't know where this came from. Could this be a memory? Do I have a younger brother? Why would my mother keep this from me? I had to find answers.

The next morning, I decided that it was time for me to tell my mother about these dreams. Maybe they mean something, and maybe she can help.

"Mom?"I asked.

"Yes, sweetie," she responded.

"I have been having a recurring dream. You were there, along with a young child. Some men were taking him away while you were screaming and trying to stop them." Mom stopped in her tracks and hesitated.

"Well, it's just a dream, honey. I'm sure it's nothing," she said, avoiding eye contact with me. I knew she was hiding something, but I didn't want to push her too hard considering everything she's been through.

"I don't have a younger brother, do I?" I asked.

"Now you're being ridiculous!" she retorted. "You just had a dream. It doesn't mean anything. Can we please talk about something else? How have you been feeling? You've been kind of distant lately."

"I'm fine," I lied. "I've just had some trouble sleeping with these weird dreams. I'm kind of paranoid after what has happened to me lately."

"You'll be fine, honey," she said. "The monster is gone, and El closed the gate. You really are safe this time. Remember, you have me, Jonathan, and your friends. We're all here for you, no matter what."

"I'm sorry," I replied.

"For what?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Everything," I respond as I try to keep myself from crying. "I killed those men," I say as the tears fall freely down my face. "They're all dead because of me, along with Bob. I ruined your chance of being happy with him." One of the lights started to flicker, and then burn out. I wasn't sure about this at the time, but I swore that I saw some nearby objects moving on their own.

"No, no, no, no, no," she responded as she hugged me tight. "We've been over this. None of this is your fault. Stop blaming yourself. Please, promise me that you'll stop blaming yourself for this." I looked back at her as I nodded my head. Though I knew it wasn't my fault, I couldn't stop blaming myself for what happened. "You said you were going to Mike's house today. Go. Enjoy yourself. You deserve it."


	6. Dungeons and Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will joins the party for a game of D&D.

Later that day, I biked to Mike's house. I had considered asking Jonathan about these dreams, but I didn't know if I could even control my emotions at the time, and I didn't want to cry in front of him. He's such a great brother. I know he would never make fun of me for crying, but he would get upset, and I'm tired of doing that to people.

I got there later than expected, perhaps because I was lost in thought,and the game had already started without me. I didn't mind. As much as I love Dungeons and Dragons, it hadn't been on my mind lately.

"Welcome, Will the Wise!" said Mike in a poorly done British accent. "We seek your wisdom. We have monsters on both sides, but not enough resources to fight them."

"We must retreat for now, and come back when we are ready," I reply, using the same accent.

"Running is for cowards!" exclaimed Lucas. "We stand and fight."

"Fine. We'll fight. I throw a fireball," I said. I roll the dice and it's 20. "20! I throw the fireball. Not only does it hit the creature I was aiming for, but it spreads, burning all of them. That's not the last of them, but we're one step closer to victory."

"That was bad ass!" yelled Dustin as we all slapped hands.

The game continued for several hours. It brought me some joy and was a good distraction from my current problems, but my heart wasn't totally in it. Mike picked up on it, and spoke to me after the others left.

"Will, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I answered.

"You didn't seem like you enjoyed the campaign. I thought you would enjoy it more."

"It was fine. I'm just tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Of course. I better get home. My mom gets worried if I stay out too late. I'll see you tomorrow at school," I replied as I rode my bike back home.

I tried sleeping at a normal time for once, but it didn't go well. I tossed and turned, trying to relax, but it wasn't happening for me. It's hard going to sleep when you know that you're probably going to have a bad dream. Either I would relive the horror that I have endured over the past year, or I would witness that horrific scene of a young child getting torn from his mother again: the one that appeared to be my mother. I know this must mean something, but I don't know what. After a couple hours of restlessness, I finally fell asleep.


	7. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gets another nightmare and deals with problems at school.

_At the doctor's office, Mom is having a rather heated discussion._

_"I brought him here for a cough, not a mental exam. Now, you're telling me I can't be with him! What the hell are you doing in there?!" she shouted._

_"We just need to run some tests. I assure you: he is safe here," the doctor calmly replied._

_"Safe? Safe?! I'm taking him home! You are all crazy!" she responded. As she tried to leave the room, the doctor blocked her path._

_"He needs to stay here for now ma'am. I understand that you're upset, but we can't let him leave." Another doctor then entered the room._

_"We need you right away. It's an emergency!" said the doctor. One of the lights in the hallway flickered, then burnt out. The alarm started blasting.My mom desperately tried to follow the doctors, but heard nothing but screaming._

I woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavy. It was 5 AM, and I only slept for 4 hours. Even so, I had no desire to get back to sleep. Who is this kid? What happened to him? Is this reality, or just my overactive imagination? That doctor's office reminded me of Hawkins' Lab, the place where my mother had taken me for therapy after my stint in the upside down. It's also the place I went when the Mind Flayer took over, and all those people died. Could it be connected?

I decided to start making breakfast since there was no way I was going back to sleep.

"Hi sweetie," my mother says as she walks into the room. "How did you sleep?"

"Not so good," I reply.

"Another nightmare?" she asked.

"Yeah."I reply. "I hope they stop soon." I didn't get into specifics because of our conversation yesterday. It would only upset her, and there was no way I was getting any more information out of her.

"Of course they will," she reassured me. I know she wanted to make me feel better, but I also knew at the time that they weren't going away any time soon, and that if I wanted them to stop, I needed to figure out what they meant.

I went to school, which can be rough at times, but I figured at least it could be a distraction. As I was walking towards my locker, I heard a voice.

"Hey, Zombie Boy!" I hear from Troy as he and James laugh. I've never been confrontational, and I was certainly not in the mood to talk to him then, so I just ignored him and continued walking. Before I knew it, I was face-down on the floor. Troy had tripped me from behind.

"You better look where you're going, faggot!" he called as I got myself up. Both of those insults really got to me, but I refused to show it in front of him. I have always been smaller than my peers, which is probably why they targeted me so often. My friends, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, would stand up for me, but I wanted to stand up for myself. I planned on doing that someday, but this was not the day. I had bigger problems to deal with.

I caught up with my friends, and I tried to hide the fact that I had a small bump on my head from my confrontation with Troy, but there is no hiding it from Mike.

"Will, what happened? Are you okay?" Mike worriedly asked me.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired," I reply.

"You're not fine, Will." Mike replied. He could always see right through me. Normally, this would be a good thing, but today, I just wanted to be left alone.

"I just tripped and fell, but I'm okay," I said back to him, hoping that he would drop it.

"It was Troy, wasn't it," he questioned. I didn't need to say anything back. The look I gave him was all the confirmation he needed.

"That guy really needs to get his ass kicked," Dustin said back, obviously annoyed over how he had treated me. I kept my head down and said nothing until getting into class.


	8. Retaliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will does research on the meaning of dreams and confronts Troy.

During a free period, I visited the school library. I would usually spend that time with my friends, but I needed to see if I could find any information on the meaning of dreams. The titles of most of the books were not promising enough for me to even check out, but there was one called: The Meaning of Dreams. I opened it up, hoping to find some information, but no such luck. The themes were general, and didn't apply to anything I'd been through. I shouldn't have expected any help on this kind of thing from a school library anyway.

As I was about to head back to class, I heard a loud noise in the hallway.

"That's what you get, frog face!" Troy yells as he has Mike in a choke-hold.

"Eat shit, dick wad!" Mike yelled as he struggled to free himself. There was a group of students surrounding the two of them, and no teachers in sight. Troy had a talent of picking just the right spot and moment when no teachers were around, so that he wouldn't get in trouble.

"Let him go!" I screamed. I'm not great at standing up for myself, but when it comes to people I care about, that's another story.

"What are you gonna do, Zombie Boy?! Cry about it? Go hide somewhere?" Troy replied sarcastically. Those insults hit hard. I can't help it, but I cry more than the average person my age. My mom says it's because I'm sensitive and caring, but I wish I could be tougher.

I hide a lot when things get tough since it's easier than facing my problems head on. I wasn't particularly proud of this either, but it might have actually saved my life when I was in the Upside Down. When I was in there, I heard a scream from a high school student named Barbara Holland. She was killed, even though she spent much less time in there than I did. While I felt bad that it happened, I was glad that it wasn't me, even if that makes me seem selfish.

"Let him go!" I scream again at the top of my lungs. As I do this, some of the lights flicker, and the closest one burns out. As is always the case in school, some of the girls screamed when the lights went out, but that is not the most interesting thing that happened.

I looked down at where Troy was choking Mike, and to my surprise, Troy was on the ground. Mike is not strong enough to take him down by himself, so what happened? I think I knew, but didn't want to admit it. I was doing this with my mind, and it's triggered when I get upset. The lights did the same thing when I was talking to Mom yesterday, and they did it today. Both times, I managed to move something with my mind. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the only explanation. Plus, after seeing what El can do, I don't rule anything out anymore.

I spent the rest of the day quiet, thinking about what happened. Have I always had these powers? Did I get them from my time in the Upside Down or possessed by the Mind Flayer? Who is this boy in my dreams? Do I, or did I, have a little brother? My mind was racing, and I needed to find answers. I went right home after school without talking to anybody else.


	9. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will went through his old photo albums to look for answers on his dreams.

When I got home, nobody else was there. Mom had an early shift and Jonathan was probably out with Nancy or something like that, which was actually perfect because it meant that I could snoop around for answers on these dreams without anyone getting suspicious.

I went through the drawers, looking for our birth certificates. I found them, but it wasn't any help. I only found my Mom's, Jonathan's, and mine. There was nothing unusual about any of them, so I kept looking.

Next, I looked through some old photo albums. Maybe this would tell me something. The first part included pictures of both of my parents, when they married, and when they were newlyweds. They hate each other so much now that it was weird seeing them happy together. It kind of made me sad, reminding me of how little I see my father, how he doesn't seem to care about us anymore, and how much this divorce has affected my mother. I'm kind of surprised that she even kept those pictures.

I then saw the pictures of Jonathan as a baby, which looked kind of like me. I never thought we looked that similar, but in those pictures, I could definitely tell. What I saw next made my blood run cold. While looking at my old pictures, one picture in particular looked very familiar. I recognized the outfit I was wearing. I couldn't originally place it, but I came to realize that it was the same outfit that child from my dreams was wearing. That's when I realized something: The child in my dreams is not a long lost brother; it was me. What happened to me? No one told me anything about this, and I had no memory of it until recently.

I looked through the next photos, and to my surprise, there were no pictures of me, only my parents and Jonathan. I didn't see any more pictures of me until I went much deeper. There was about one year's worth of photos that didn't include me at all. This had to be related to whatever happened to me. Where did I go? How did I get back? I knew my mother would never tell me the truth, probably because she wanted to protect me, but I had to get answers. Perhaps Jonathan knows something.

I then heard a sound coming from my walkie talkie.

"Will, this is Mike, do you copy? Over."

"Yes, this is Will. I copy. Over."

"Where did you go? We were supposed to go over to the arcade today. The girls are coming too. Over."

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot all about that. Go ahead and go without me, I'm feeling a little sick today. Over."

"What's wrong, Will? It's not the Mind Flayer, is it? Over."

"No, it's not that. I promise. Over."

"Is it because of the incident with Troy today? Don't worry about him. We've got your back. Over."

"Not exactly. I have something personal to take care of, and I don't want to talk about it right now. Over."

"You know you can talk to me about anything. I won't tell the others if you don't want me to. Over."

"I know, and maybe I'll tell you, but not right now. Over."

Lucas then chimed in with, "Hey Will, get your ass over here! We're not starting without you. Over."

I respond with, "Sorry guys, I can't do this today. Over."

"Maybe this will get your mind off of whatever is bothering you. Over." Mike retorts.

"Sorry. No can do. I need to deal with this now. Over and out," I say back as I turn it off. I felt bad about it, but there was no way I could play games with everything going on. If I was to stop these dreams, I needed to know the truth.

I was home by myself for the next couple of hours, waiting for Jonathan to come home. Maybe it would have been good for me to go out when I think about it, but I had made my decision. I didn't know what to expect, but he had to know something. I passed the time drawing pictures. I wanted to draw pictures that made me happy, but most of them involved negative experiences, like the creatures from the Upside Down. After some time had passed, he came home.


	10. Past Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan comes home and Will talks with him about his past.

"Hey Jon, can I ask you about something?" I ask as he walks in the door.

"What's wrong buddy," he responds with a concerned look on his face. Like Mike, he can read me like a book, and he instantly knew that something was wrong. I hated to bother him after everything that happened so recently, but I was going to drive myself crazy if I didn't get answers.

"Did something happen to me when I was little? Something horrible?" I ask.

"Not that I know of, " Jonathan lied. He might be able to notice when I'm lying, but I can tell when he's lying too.

"Jonathan,please. I know something happened. I noticed my pictures missing from the photo album. I keep having these dreams about a young child being carried away. I thought it was another brother of mine, but now I see that it is me. This can't be a coincidence, and Mom isn't telling me anything," I say back to him with distress in my voice. I know he can tell when that I'm serious about this.

Jonathan sighed as he sat down next to me. "I don't know everything. Mom kept me in the dark, but I'll tell you what I do know. When you were three, you had a bad cough, so Mom took you to the doctor, but this wasn't an ordinary visit. When she came home, she was more distressed than she was before, saying that there's no way she'd let 'them' take her baby away."

"Them?"I ask.

"She wouldn't tell me who 'they' were, and I couldn't get her to talk tome about any of it. Anyway, the following week, you had another appointment and then I didn't see you any more. She claimed that you had to go to the hospital for a while, and you didn't know when we'd see you again. I asked to visit you, but she would always say no, and she never gave me any details as to what was wrong with you. I tried to figure it out myself, but I was only 6. After about a year, you came home, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with you. Mom made me promise to never tell you any of this, so don't tell her I told you."

"Do you have any idea what happened?" I asked.

"Not really," he responded. "None of what happened in that year made any sense. Mom has always been open with us, and it's not like her to hide something. Since you seemed to be your normal, happy self after coming home, we all figured it would be best if we left that behind us."

"Oh."I responded.

"Hey, don't worry. We got you back, didn't we? It might be more painful bringing this stuff up," he suggested. "Maybe you forgot about for a reason."

"But, what about these dreams? How can I be having those dreams if I don't remember anything?" I ask.

"They will pass. Sometimes, our dreams don't mean anything. Go out and enjoy yourself, you deserve it after everything that happened," he responded.

"I guess you're right," I reply with a sigh. I turned the walkie talkie on, contacting Mike.

"Hey Mike, it's Will. Do you copy? Over." There was no response. He was probably away from it, or couldn't hear it over the loud arcade sounds.

"Hey, Mike, it's Will. Do you copy? Over." I say again.

"Will?" Mike responds. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Over."

"Yeah, I think I'm okay," I respond. "Sorry for ditching you earlier. I can come out now, if you still want to see me. Over."

"Of course. Come on over!" Mike responded enthusiastically.


	11. Dig Dug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will goes to the arcade and meets up with his friends.

I then proceeded to bike my way over to the arcade. It was kind of far, and my mother has never been comfortable with me riding there by myself, but she was at work, and I was ready to do it myself. During my trip, I felt a brief breeze on the back of my neck. I passed it off as the wind, and continued my travels.

I arrived at the arcade earlier than expected. Maybe I was pedaling faster, in an attempt to escape my problems.

"Byers!" yelled Dustin as he waved me over and hugged me as I arrived.

"Where have you been?" Lucas asked. "We're getting our asses kicked. Max got a new high score on Dig Dug, and we're not even close to beating It. Here you give it a try."

"Let's do it," I tentatively reply. It's not that I am bad at video games, but I've never been quite as good as my friends. I enjoy playing them, but what I like best is spending time with them. It's just like when we play dungeons and dragons; the excitement and rush is incredible, and I feel like I really belong in that group.

With everything that had been going on, I didn't expect to perform very well, but, to my surprise, I did. Somehow, all the pain and confusion I've felt over the last few months were channeled into this video game. There was also my friends cheering me on and getting more excited with each level I pass.

While I was playing, it was like nothing else mattered. All I could see was the game, and my best friends. During those moments, my time in the Upside Down and my time possessed by the Mind Flayer never existed, and things were just as they were before all that happened.

"Dude, check out that Byers kid!" I heard somebody at the arcade yell. "He beat Mad Max's score, and he's still going strong!" The crowd around me grew bigger, and there were more voices cheering me on. After what seemed like hours, I was worn down, and my game was finally finished. With everyone cheering me on, I felt like I was on top of the world. I know it sounds silly since it was just a game of Dig Dug, but it meant a lot to me to finally be noticed for something good instead of feeling invisible.

"Holy shit!" Mike said to me as we walked out of the arcade towards our bikes. "When did you learn to play like that?"

"I don't know," I reply as I shrug my shoulders. "I guess I was just on a roll."

"Is everything okay? We were worried when you said you didn't want to come out with us."

"Yeah, I think so," I reply as I smile. "I'm glad I came out. I'll see you tomorrow," I say as I get on my back and pedal home. There have been times that I have lied to my family and friends, telling them that everything is fine when it really isn't, but this was not one of those times. I felt like a big weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and that I could handle whatever came my way.

When I got home, I saw my mother with a worried expression on her face.

"Will!" she yelled out to me. "Where have you been? It's awfully late." I looked at my watch and noticed that it 10:13. I was so caught up in Dig-Dug that I had lost track of time.

"Sorry, Mom," I replied. "I decided to go the arcade after all, and you know what? I got the high score. Everyone was cheering me on. I haven't felt that good in a long time." She held that worried expression for a few more seconds before breaking into a smile.

"I'm glad you feel better," she said back to me as we embraced. "Just please, let me know if you're staying out late, so I don't have to worry." I nod my head as we break apart and I head to my bedroom. I felt bad about that. It might seem like my mom is overprotective, but how I could I blame her after everything I've been through? I hoped I didn't worry her too much.

As I lay in bed, I wondered what happened today, and whether or not I should concern myself with what I've learned about my past. Something bad might have happened, but I don't have any memories of it outside of my vague dreams, and maybe it's best that I don't remember anything, as it could open up old wounds, and the last thing I needed after everything I'd been through was to relive more past trauma. I went to bed with a smile on my face for the first time in a long time. Unfortunately, this would not last, as my dreams would continue.


	12. Return of a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gets another nightmare, giving more information on his past. Jonathan comes in to check on them, and they have a talk.

_"No, no, no," a voice shouted out. "Use your powers, or I'll have to hurt you again. You know I hate doing that!" Glass shattered and the objects in the room started flying around randomly, seemingly by themselves, followed by screaming._

_"Good, good, keep going," the voice continued. After a couple more seconds, all the objects fell to the ground and the screaming stopped. "Damn it! Damn it!" the voice screamed. "You left me no choice." This was followed by the sound of electricity and more screaming. I couldn't tell, but I think the screaming came from me. I felt so small and weak, more-so than usual. I was 3 years old again, and this wasn't just a dream. It was a memory._

_When the pain stopped, I was placed in a room with two other children. This room had a rainbow on the outside, and it kind of reminded me of a drawing I made years ago that my mom hung up where she worked. Both of the other children were girls. One of them was African-American, and I wasn't sure, but I think the other girl might have been Eleven._

I woke up at 4:30 in a cold sweat. I didn't even realize this, but I was screaming.

"Will! Are you okay?!" Jonathan yelled as he came running to my room. My mom would have come in to check on me too, but with her work schedule, when she slept, she slept like a rock, so she probably didn't even hear me scream.

"I don't know," I said as I was shivering. My forehead was covered in sweat and the front of my shirt was drenched.

"Another bad dream?" Jonathan asked. I nod in response. "I was hoping you were past this. Mom told me you got the high score on Dig-Dug," he said as we gave each other a fist bump.

"Yeah. I was doing awesome last night, and I really thought I was past this," I reply. "These dreams have continued. I think I know what I have to do."

"What?" he asked.

"I need to learn the truth," I reply. "These dreams aren't going to stop until I do that."

"Will," Jonathan replied, "I don't know what happened, but you could get hurt. It might be best if you just went to therapy or something like that."

"I get it. I know you're looking out for me, but I've had therapy, and it hasn't helped me. I need to learn the truth, or this will never end," I reply. "I'll be careful; I promise. Please, don't tell Mom. I don't want to stress her out any more."

Jonathan went silent for a few seconds before responding, "Fine. I won't tell Mom, but if things get intense, promise me you'll back off, and contact me if you need help. I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you." I nodded my head in agreement before trying to get back to sleep. I tossed and turned for an hour before accepting the fact that I wasn't going to be able to sleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts, which is not always great for me. I did get an idea, however, on what to do next.


	13. An Unexpected Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will seeks more answers from another source.

One good thing about being unable to sleep is that you get extra time in the day. During that time, I drew to keep myself occupied. I drew the images from my dreams in accurate detail. The drawings turned out more accurate than I had expected, so much so that it was giving me flashbacks. Perhaps this was a good thing, as this might give me some clues on what I need to do in my search for the truth.

I stuffed those drawings in my backpack so that my mother would not see them. She has liked my drawings, but I didn't want her to know that I was still having these dreams, or what I was planning to do. It's not that I didn't trust her, but I didn't want her to stress about me after everything that's happened to me.

"Good morning honey!" Mom said cheerfully.

"Hi Mom," I responded, trying to hide the fact that I'm having trouble again in my voice.

"I thought I heard you last night," she responded.

"Oh yeah," I reply. "I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm probably just wound up after last night, but I'm okay now.By the way, I'll be getting home late tonight. I have AV club."

"I thought those were on Wednesdays," she responded.

"Yeah.We scheduled this one for today because we have a project that we need to work on," I lied. My actual plan involved going over to Hopper's cabin to speak with. I was pretty sure that she was the girl in last night's dream, and that she must know something. I hated lying to my mom, but I couldn't tell her the truth. Not yet, at least.

The day at school went surprisingly smooth. Troy was absent since he was healing from his injuries from the previous day, and no one could prove that Mike and I had anything to do with it. He was the biggest cause of stress for me while I was at school, so when he was absent, I could relax a little. I spoke to my friends, and they didn't suspect that I was having problems either.

After the school day ended, I biked to Hopper's cabin. It wasn't too far away, but it was a long trip on bike. I couldn't ask for a ride without giving myself away, so that was my only choice. My mind wandered during the trip. I wondered what Eleven was doing there, who that man was, and what it all meant. Perhaps, it explained my bad luck over the past two years. Maybe there was a reason why creatures from the Upside Down keep targeting me.

As I arrived, I saw a man that is all too familiar to me sitting outside, smoking a cigarette.

"Hey kid," he greeted me. "Mike's not here right now. Why don't I give you ride home? You shouldn't bike out here. It's too far."

"Actually..."I hesitated. "I'm not here for Mike. I'd like to speak with Eleven, if that's okay with you."

"What," he responded as he put out his cigarette. He looked genuinely shocked to hear me way that. "I guess so. She's inside, watching TV." Even though the whole party had reconnected with her, only Mike had been in contact with her, considering the fact that she was still in danger of being discovered.

"Well, here she is," Hopper said to be as he lead me into the house."Don't take too long, or your mother will worry. God knows I don't need her blowing up my phone again," he remarked with a chuckle as he left the room.


	14. Secrets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will connects with El and he discusses his dreams and what they might mean.

The first moments that I spent were more than a little awkward. The two of us had barely seen or even spoken to each other. In fact, the only time I could remember her speaking to me was when she reached out to me in the Upside Down telling me that help was on the way. I recognized her, but she had grown up considerably since then and no longer sported the crew cut that she had back then.

"Hey, El," I mumbled awkwardly to her. It shouldn't have felt like that to me, but it did. She was Mike's friend, and everyone loved her. She even helped save me, but I could hardly even make eye contact with her. The few seconds that passed before responding felt like hours.

"Will," she responded. "How are you feeling?" Though she only spoke a few words, all the anxiety and awkwardness had passed. It's hard to explain, but there was something calming about her. I heard the stories about how she had used her mind to flip a van, kill some bad men, and close an evil gate to another dimension, but I felt safe in her presence. Perhaps that's why the rest of the party was so crazy about her. I felt like I could say anything to her, and she wouldn't judge me for it.

"I'm feeling much better. Thanks," I respond. "I never had the opportunity to thank you for all you've done for me, and for my friends, so thank you. I know it was you that reached out to me when I was trapped in the Upside Down, so thank you for that." I knew that I needed to get to the point quickly, but this was something that had been bothering me ever since I came back from the Upside Down, and I finally got this opportunity.

"Of course," she responded, engulfing me in a hug. "You're my friend." I was so happy to hear her say that. I had felt left out since the others knew her so well, and I only knew her from what they told me.

"There's actually another reason I came here today," I said as we parted."I'm not entirely sure how to explain what's happening, but I know that if anyone can understand, it's you."

"What is it, Will?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.

"Well..."I hesitated for a brief moment. "I've been having these vivid dreams. Most of them are about what happened to me, which makes sense, but I'm also having some dreams about what I think might be Hawkins Lab; they involve a small boy being taken from his mother, having supernatural powers, and being tested. I didn't think much of it at first, but they keep happening, and each time, I see more and more. I don't think they are dreams, but memories."

"Memories,"she repeated as she looked back at me. From her expression, I could tell that she understood everything I was telling her. It's kind of crazy to think that a little over a year ago, she barely spoke, and didn't know simple concepts, like "friend.".

"Yes, but that's not all. I looked at an old photo album, and noticed that the small boy in my dreams wasn't a stranger, or even a lost relative. That boy was me. I talked to my brother about it, and he told me that my mother brought me to a doctor at a very young age for something small, like a cough, but I ended up at that hospital for an entire year before coming home. None of my family was even allowed to visit during that time, and I have no memory of that place outside of these dreams I've had recently."

Eleven said nothing, staring back at me. I'm sure she was just taking it all in. I knew at that moment that these were not silly, meaningless dreams, but something real.

"That's not even the end of it," I added. "Last night, in my dream, I had powers, and a tall, older man was yelling for me to use them. There was broken glass and objects floating around the room, then they all dropped. The man looked pissed, and he took me to a room with rainbows on a door, and in that room, I saw two girls my age. One girl was African-American, but the other girl looked a younger version of you. I can't explain it, but I'm sure it's you." She continued staring back at me, but with a shocked expression, like I knew something that I wasn't supposed to know.

"In fact," I said, breaking the silence, "I actually drew these pictures and brought them with me," I say as I take the pictures out of my backpack to show them to her. She carefully looked at each picture, sorting through them, until she saw the one I drew with the strange man.

"Papa,"she said to me. "Bad man." I still couldn't believe that I drew something from my dreams so accurately. This, I thought, couldn't possibly be a coincidence. That girl had to be her, and this had to be the same man. Since she had the number of Eleven, I knew there had to be other kids that they experimented on. Was I another experiment? I didn't think it was possible, but this made me rethink everything I thought I knew about my past.

"Let me see your arm," she stated, grabbing my right arm and looking at it carefully. She looked up and down my arms for several moments before pointing out a mark. "What is that?" She asked.

"That's just a birthmark," I reply, but I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't believe me. At the time, I didn't know if she knew what a birthmark was, or if she believed it was something else. Of course it was a birthmark, right? That's what my mother had always told me, so why was Eleven doubting me.

"Hey kid, it's getting late," Hopper yells across the room. "You should probably head home now. I'll give you a ride."

"Actually, would it be okay if I ride my bike back?" I ask as I head over to where he was sitting. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yeah?" he replies suspiciously.

"Could you not tell my mother about my visit today? She's always so worried about me. I promise I'm not doing anything wrong, but I don't want her knowing about this yet," I ask him.

"As long as you two aren't not getting into trouble, or are in any danger, I won't mention this to her, but if she asks me, I'll have to tell her the truth. I can't lie to her, and she'd be able to see through me if I tried," he responded. Realistically, this was the most I could get out of him.

"Thanks, Hopper," I respond as I head out the door. "I'd like to drop by another day if that's okay." Hopper nodded as I left. I know that I didn't actually resolve anything, but talking to her made me feel a lot better about everything. Maybe I just needed to get this off my chest. Regardless, I needed to know more, and I was already planning what I was going to say to my mom for my next visit.


	15. Birthmark?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will investigates El's claim that his "birthmark" is not a birthmark, but a number from Hawkins Lab.

After I got home, I acted as if everything was normal, and for that night, everything was. I actually felt happy, which was normal for me before getting lost in the Upside Down. Things weren't perfect, of course, but it felt like so long ago, and I missed the way I felt back then.I was happy and innocent, but that had been stolen from me. It became increasingly difficult to keep a positive attitude with everything that had happened, and I often found myself hiding my emotional problems under the guise of happiness for my friends and family.

At night, after Jonathan was out and my mother had gone to bed, I returned to the photo albums that I looked at the other day, specifically the ones before I had been taken away. While I was in Hopper's cabin, Eleven seemed especially interested in my birthmark, like it wasn't a birthmark, but something else. If it wasn't a birthmark, what was it? Was it a scar from the experiments, or was it something else?

As I sorted through the pictures, I found what I was looking for: a picture from a vacation at the beach. Since I was in my bathing suit, I could check to see if that birthmark on my arm was there, and to my surprise, it wasn't! I had always thought that it looked unusual, like something was written there, but brushed it off. I still couldn't make out what was written, but I had a good idea on what it might be. Eleven has the number 011 tattooed on her arm and she was one of the kids that Hawkins Lab had experimented on, so perhaps I was another number. I knew I needed to go back to Hopper's cabin, but I couldn't go just yet, as there was no way my mother was going to believe that AV club had that many after-school meetings, so I decided to put it off until next week.

That night, I finally got a break from those awful dreams. I don't even remember what I dreamed that night, but at least it wasn't another nightmare, and I would sleep through the night and not wake up in a cold sweat. I think that having someone to talk to has really helped me through this.


	16. Byers House Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will holds a party with his friends.

That Friday, I had gotten my mother's approval to have a sleepover at my house with Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. We were always meeting at Mike's house, it seemed, and it was nice to meet at my house for a change. It had been a few days since I had any nightmares, but they were still on my mind. I knew I had to deal with them sooner or later, and that I would do that when meeting up with Eleven, but that night was going to be a night of fun with my friends. Despite my emotional problems, I always felt happy when I was with them, and I was ready to feel happy again.

That night did not go as I originally planned, but it was still a lot of fun. I had set up a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but we didn't end up finishing it, not because of anything bad, but because we found something else to do that night.

Mike was the first person to arrive. As I greeted him, I thought about telling him what was going on with me, but I didn't want this night to be about that. I wanted it to be about four friends having the time of their lives.

"Byers!" Mike yelled as he walked in the door. We're so close that I let him walk in the door whenever he wants, as is the case when I come to his house.

"Wheeler!" I said back as we did our specialized handshake. I know it sounds silly, but we've always loved doing that. We made it so complex that even Lucas and Dustin couldn't follow along. All four of us have always been close, but Mike and I were always the closest. I thought of him as more of a brother than a friend these days. "I have a pretty cool campaign tonight, but I have other stuff we can do if we get bored with it."

"If you made it, I'm sure it's awesome," Mike reassured me as Lucas and Dustin arrived together.

"I brought pudding!" Dustin exclaimed. "Lots and lots of pudding!" We all broke down in laughter as he said that. Dustin never fails to make us laugh.

"You didn't steal it from the cafeteria again, did you?" Lucas asked.

"No," Dustin replied. "No. No. Okay, yes, but she hordes that stuff. She'll never notice!" We all broke down in laughter again.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Mike asked as our laughter finally died down.

"It doesn't matter," I reply. Though I love playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, it doesn't mean nearly as much as just spending time with them. I didn't want them to play it with me if they didn't want to.

"Will has a pretty cool campaign planned," Mike chimed in. The others nodded their head in agreement as we headed to the basement to start.


	17. Byers House Party Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's sleepover with his friends continues.

About an hour into the campaign, we heard a voice coming from one of the radios.

"I love you too, sugar bear," says the voice. It was Jonathan's voice. He was talking to Nancy. I had forgotten to turn off my walkie talkie before everyone got here.

"I love you more, honey bunny," says a female voice, which must have belonged to Nancy. We didn't even hear the rest of what they were saying because we were laughing so hard.

"Oh shit!" Jonathan screamed as he must have realized that the walkie talkie was still on. That just made us laugh harder. I don't know if he heard us laughing or not, but I never asked him.

"I hope Max and I never sound like that," Lucas remarked. "He sounds like such a wuss!"

"I know, but he's actually been pretty cool to me," I said as I defended him. I didn't mind them teasing my brother a little, but I didn't like it when people took it too far. I know Lucas didn't mean anything by it, and that's why I didn't get angry with him. "Checkout this mix tape he made for me. He gave it to me in the hospital so I wouldn't get bored. Check it out."

I play, Should I Stay or Should I go by the Clash in anticipation of their response. Not only was that my favorite song, but it was the most meaningful to me. Jonathan played this song for me when I was sad about my dad skipping out on his time with me. Jonathan helped me realize that I should be myself, and not who others want me to be. The song is great, but it was very significant to me.

To my relief, they loved it, and it wasn't long before they started singing along. I told them about each song as it started to play. They knew some of the songs and others were unfamiliar to them, but we were all having a good time. We were having such a good time, that we forgot to even finish the game. That was okay, though. Time spent with friends having fun is always worth it.

We also spent some of the night just talking and eating junk food. Who would have thought that even that would be fun. Dustin and Lucas drifted off to sleep, but Mike and I stayed up a little longer. There was something I had wanted to tell him ever since being freed from the Mind Flayer's control, but never had the opportunity.


	18. Sticking Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Dustin and Lucas go to sleep, Will and Mike have a heart-to-heart.

"Hey Mike," I state out of the blue.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Thanks for sticking with me through everything," I said to him.

"Of course," he said back. "I would never leave you, not when you need me."

"I know it must have been scary for you, when I was convulsing, when I had forgotten who everyone was, and when the Mind Flayer was using me to find everyone," I said back. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. This was a painful memory for me, and I'm sure he didn't like thinking about it either.

"Yeah, it was scary" he told me after a couple of moments. "But as scary as it was for us, I know it had to be so much worse for you. You had already been through Hell in the Upside Down, and there was no way I was ever going to give up on you. By the way, sorry we had to knock you out and tie you up. I know that must've been awful."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I reassured him. "Everyone was in danger while I was conscious. I was so out of it that I didn't know anything, but you thought clearly. You even had the idea of getting the information out of me. You helped save us all."

"You did too," he responded. "It was brave and smart of you to use Morse code to give us that information. I know that put you in danger, but without that, we all would've died. El saved us all when she closed the gate. I hope you can get to know her better."

"Me too," I responded. It wasn't the right time for me to tell him about my encounter with her. If I told him that, I would have had to tell him about everything that's been going on, and I was not ready to do that just yet. "I'm going to sleep, good night."

"Good night," he said back as we both nodded off.

I was glad that I had that conversation with Mike, even if I couldn't tell him everything right away. I know he felt guilty about everything that happened to me, like he was somehow responsible for letting it happen. Last Halloween, when I had one of my episodes, he promised me that he would not let the monster get me, so when it did get to me, I could tell he felt like he let me down. Of course, that wasn't true.

He stayed with me when the Mind Flayer first started taking over, when I convulsed after the vines were burning, when I lost my memory, and even when the Mind Flayer had completely taken over. I could see the pain in his eyes when he saw my suffering, but he never left, which is something I will always remember.


	19. Sensory Deprivation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El helps Will develop his powers using sensory deprivation.

The next day, after my friends had left, and I was home alone, I heard the phone ring. I answered, thinking it was somebody calling my mom or Jonathan, since I rarely get anyone calling for me, but to my surprise, it was Eleven.

"Hello," I answered.

"Will?" Eleven asked.

"Yes. El?" I asked, recognizing her voice.

"Yes," she answered. "I think you should come over. I have been having visions and I think they involve you."

"What kinds of vision," I asked.

"It's hard to explain," she answered. "Can you come over now? I have some ideas, but I can't explain them over the phone."

"...Sure," I hesitated. "I'll head over right away." I wasn't comfortable leaving the house without telling my mom or Jonathan, but I had to know more. I've always hated lying, so I left a note. It read: " _I'm going out for a little while. Don't worry. I won't be long._ " I left out the details on exactly what I was doing, so I wasn't technically lying.

When I arrived, El was on the front porch, motioning for me to come in. Apparently, Hopper was out of the house, which was a good thing because it would make it easier for us to try out whatever El had planned.

The television was on, but all I could see or hear was static. El told me to sit down and face the television. Slowly, I did as she asked. Before I knew it, I couldn't see. She had put a blindfold on me. I would learn later that this was how she would reach out to people. It's called sensory deprivation. She did something similar when I was lost in the Upside Down and she reached out to me. Instead of TV static, she floated in a pool. I was confused, but I followed along.

"Just relax," she said in a soft, soothing voice. "Think of someone,anyone, and focus on that person." I decided to focus on Mom. I would have chosen Mike, Dustin, Lucas, or Jonathan, but I had seen them recently and I was kind of curious as to what she was up to. I was also hoping that she wasn't worrying about me.

To be honest, I didn't think this was going to work, and I didn't expect to see anything, but I kept on going. Everything was dark, but I could see my mother and Hopper, and I could hear them talking. I couldn't quite place where they were, but I assumed it was Melvald's General Store, where she was working. I listened in,

_Mom: Now, let's read it back._

_Hopper:*reading* There's something I've been wanting to talk to you bothabout – and I know this is a difficult conversation. But I care about you both very much. Wait. Wait. I could never say that. I don't talk like that._

_Mom: You were fine! Keep going._

_Hopper: I'm just going to get back to it later. I can't deal with this right now._

_Mom: Okay, but you'll have to deal with this sooner or later. By the way, my magnets at home keep falling off the refrigerator._

_Hopper: So?_

_Mom: It's happening here too. I think something else is going on. Maybe the gate has opened again, and that's why this is happening._

_Hopper: Can you hear yourself? Magnets?! Because your magnets are falling, the world is ending? Look, I've got to go. Try and relax, okay? This is crazy._

I then took off my blindfold, since nothing else was going on, and the purpose of this was to test out my powers.

"What did you see?" El asked me as she turned the television off. "I heard you mumbling something."

"I saw my mom talking to Hopper," I answered.

"What did they talk about?" she asked curiously.

"Magnets," I answered. "My mom is telling Hopper about magnets falling down, and that she thinks the gate might have re-opened." I could have told her about the fact that they were also talking about setting boundaries between El and Mike, but that was none of my business and I did not want to get involved.

"I closed the gate," she said abruptly.

"I know," I retorted. "I don't think there's anything to worry about. My mom has always jumped to conclusions. With all these bad things happening, she's always on edge. I guess it's not always bad though. That is how she knew I hadn't died in the Upside Down and how she helped me."

"Could she be right?" she asked in a nervous tone.

"It's possible," I answered. "But I'm going to need to see more than just falling magnets before I start panicking."

"Okay," she responded. It was hard to tell what she was thinking about this. It worried me, because I figure, if anyone knows about the Upside Down, it's her. Even though I had spent a week there a few years back, she still knows more about it than anyone else.

"Your nose, it's bleeding," she said after a few moments. That confirmed to me that I had the same abilities that she did. I had never actually seen her use her powers, but I had been told about what it does to her. I quickly grabbed a Kleenex. Strangely, it didn't actually hurt. My nosebleed was more of an annoyance than anything else. I was feeling a little bit winded, but not too much.

"Thanks El," I said as I wiped up the blood. "By the way, I thought about what you said about my birthmark. I looked up some old pictures, ones taken before I was taken away, and that birthmark wasn't there. I think it might be a number. If I have powers like you, then I was probably experimented on as well, and have my own number."


	20. Telekenesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El helps Will learn to move things with his mind.

"Will, I want you to move this book, with your mind," she told me.

"I'll try, but I don't know how," I answered tentatively.

"It'll come to you. Just feel it out," she said as she encouraged me.

I got close to the book and attempted to move it with my mind. Despite my concentration, it wouldn't budge. I tried to focus more, but nothing happened. El then came up with an idea.

"Will, remember everything that has happened to you," she said. "Use your emotions. That's how I do it. The more you use, the stronger you become." That is when I thought back to everything I had been through, the Upside Down, the Mind Flayer, the feelings of weakness and helplessness. It all came down on me at once. I channeled those emotions towards the book, and, to my surprise, I lifted it in the air. I only got it a few inches for a couple of seconds before letting go.

At this moment, my emotions were overwhelming. Not only was I exhausted from what I had done, but I was reliving my past experiences like I was still they were happening again. I could feel my mother's insanity, my brother's despair, and Mike's unfathomable sadness. It was too much, and I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. I wasn't even thinking about the fact that Eleven was there, or how I looked. It all came pouring down on me, and I couldn't make it stop.

Eleven hugged me tight. She didn't say anything for a while, but she didn't need to. She was saying a lot more in that hug than could ever be put into words. I felt like she was there for me, and she could feel everything I was feeling. It lasted a couple of minutes, but it was exactly what I needed. She might have been the only person to truly understand what I was going through. Thanks to her, I settled myself down quickly.

"Sorry," she said to me softly as she looked down.

"No,no." I responded. "You've helped me so much, and you've been there for me. Thank you so much for that. I'd like to come back and do this again, sometime."

"Sure," she responded. It was getting late, so I headed home after we said our goodbyes.

As I was cycling home, I was thinking about my relationship with her. I think most people in my situation would think about a romantic relationship with her, but not me. This wasn't just because she was already in a relationship with my best friend or the fact that I wasn't ready for a relationship yet. She had seemed like a sister to me, even more so after today, and I felt like I always knew her. I was glad that I had become friends with her, especially after all that she had done for me.


	21. The Gate is Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will comes home late and gets a message from El.

As I got home, Jonathan was out on the porch, waiting for me.

"Where did you go?" he asked with a worried expression. "Mom's been worried. We saw your note, but we didn't think you'd be gone for so long."

"I just went out to clear my head," I lied. "I lost track of time."

"Hey, Mom. Sorry I was out so late," I told my mom as I walked in.

"It's okay, honey" she answered. She's so understanding, and I felt bad keeping this from her, but I had to do it. As much as I knew she would always be there for me, if I told her what I was doing, it would only make her worry more, and only El had a true understanding of what I was going through.

I slept well that night. With everything that happened, I thought for sure that I would get nightmares, but that wasn't the case. Maybe they came earlier because I was denying the truth about myself, and my visits to El have helped me with that.

I did have one dream though. At least, I thought it was a dream. I was back in the black void where I had been when I visited her house. The only things I could hear were the sounds of water dropping and a familiar female voice, El's voice.

 _"Will. Will." she said. "Do you feel it? I can feel it. The gate is open. You must learn to control your powers. I need you." I tried to yell back, but she was gone before I could say anything._ I knew that I had to contact her the next day so that I could learn more.

I woke up normally and well-rested despite what El had told me. The only thing I noticed that was different from before was that I was getting a weird chill in the back of my neck periodically. I didn't know this at the time, but that was very important. I had a plan for our future meetings, but that would have to wait, since the next day, the party planned on meeting at Dustin's house, and if I skipped out on it, I would raise suspicions.

I got through school normally. For the first time in a while, I was focused in school. Since it was Friday, the lessons were pretty straight forward. The other members of the party did not look at me with that look of concern that they had given me so much after my traumatic experiences. I could never quite tell if it was pity or not, but it drove me crazy. I just wanted them to see me the way they did before everything happened.


	22. Dustin's Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party meetup at Dustin's house.

When I got home, I actually allowed myself to relax for once. I focused on my drawings, and this time, I drew something unrelated to the Upside Down or my past experiences. It had been a great outlet for me, and I really needed to get my mind off of it since it seemed like that's all I had been thinking about. I needed a break, and perhaps, this night at Dustin's house was exactly what I needed at the time, even though I was not initially motivated to leave the house.

I didn't know what to expect, since I had not been to Dustin's house all that often before that night, but I knew it would fun. Even in the worst of circumstances, he'd never failed to make us laugh with his insane comments, jokes, or erratic behavior. In addition to that, his positivism rubbed off on us every time we saw him. I have a tendency of bringing myself down, thinking of the bad things that have happened and might happen in the future, but when I'm around him, I feel like none of that matters, and I can conquer anything.

Before I knew it, I was at Dustin's house. I was the first to arrive, but that was okay. There was hardly ever an awkward moment between us. As I walked in, I was greeted with a hug.

"Byers!" Dustin yelled as I walked in the door. I've always known his excitement to see us was genuine, and I've always liked that about him.

"Hey man. Sorry, I didn't bring anything."

"Nonsense. I have everything here that we need."

"I heard you had something big planned. Care to share what it is?"

"Not yet. Not until everyone gets here. Have a seat. Can I get you anything?"

"I'm okay for now. Thanks." Not long after I sat down and Dustin left the room for a moment, I felt something on my lap. It was a gray cat. The cat meowed, then curled up on my lap. I've never had a cat before, but this was nice. I hadn't had the chance to meet this cat yet, since he just got it after the last cat met with an unfortunate fate because of a Demogorgon dog, or a "demodog" as Dustin likes to put it.

"What? No way!" Dustin exclaimed as he returned to the living room with a soda in his hand. "She never does that for me. What did you do to get her to like you so much?" He nodded his head as I chuckled. Even though it was just a cat, it was nice to feel wanted.

As the doorbell rang and the others arrived, the cat, named Tews, ran off, allowing me to get up and greet everybody. They all seemed genuinely happy to be there and see each other. We see each other every day in school, but we get so busy with homework and other things that it seems more special when we get this opportunity to really bond.

We ventured our way down to the basement. As I walked down the stairs, behind everybody else, I got that feeling in the back of my neck again. It only happened for a moment, and against my better judgment, I decided to ignore it. I figured that I would deal with it in a few days after meeting El.

When we came downstairs, we saw a massive, big screen TV along with all the snacks a kid my age could want. Initially, I had to force myself to pretend that the feeling in my neck never happened, and that I was excited for what we are about to do, but I quickly got back into the moment and genuinely enjoyed myself.

We ended up watching all three Star Wars movies in order, which was better on such an awesome screen. We ended up goofing off so much that were only half paying attention, but that was fine with me. There are few things in life better than eating too much sugar while you're hanging out with your best friends. We stayed up a lot later than they planned on, but that's what happens when you put four teenage boys in a room together with tons of junk food. It really was an enjoyable evening.

When I did sleep, I had the same exact dream that I had the night before. I knew then that if I were to preserve all of this, and keep everyone I care about safe, I needed to take action soon, so when I got home, I called El, and we agreed to meet that same day, but instead of making the trip to Hopper's cabin, we would meet at the place I felt the safest: Castle Byers.


	23. Dr. Brenner Is Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and El meetup at Castle Byers to learn the truth.

The time came where I went home and said goodbye to my friends. I'm glad we had the chance to hang out together, but I needed to get back to business. These problems were not going away by themselves, and it was up to El and I to tackle whatever was going to happen.

After school, El and I met at Castle Byers. This was perfect because Hopper was at work and my family typically left me alone while I was in there. As long as we didn't make too much noise, it would be fine. Right on time, at 3:30, or three three zero as Eleven likes to put It, she arrived.

"Hi Will," El greeted me as she pulled me into a hug.

"Hey El," I respond. "Thanks for meeting me here. This way, we don't have to tell anyone what's going on." I hated keeping this asecret, but if I were to tell anyone else about this, they would try to help, and I couldn't risk endangering them.

Like last time, I used sensory deprivation so that I could reach out to somebody. There was no television, but I had previously recorded the sound of static onto a blank cassette, and that worked just as well.

This time, I reached out to that feeling I had in my neck. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but El helped me and assured me that I was ready. I didn't see anything right away, but I remained patient, and before I knew it, I was getting visions.

Once my vision started, I had no doubt of what I was looking at. It was the source of our past trauma: Hawkins Lab. I started feeling sick to my stomach, like it was in knots. This triggered the memories from my dreams and my time there when I was possessed. I remembered apologizing to Mike and my mother, practically in tears, saying that I didn't mean to give our location away to the Mind Flayer, and that he made me do it. I remembered getting held down and sedated, frantically squirming and screaming to be let go; I was reliving the pain and fear I was feeling in that moment.

Despite reliving those traumatic memories, I was determined to do what I set out to do; find out what was going on. After taking several breaths to calm myself down, I refocused, and started seeing things clearly. Despite the fact that Hawkins Lab was mostly torn down, and the people working there were dead, the lab was in perfect condition, and the place was crawling with scientists.

That was surprising enough, but what I saw next sent shivers down my spine. I saw the gate re-opening, with the help of a machine. One ofthe people I saw working the machine was Dr. Brenner. I hadn't seen him in person since I was a toddler, and I only recognized him from my dreams, but there was no doubt that that was him. I thought he had been killed, either by Eleven or one of the Demogorgons, as Mike told me, by there he was, alive and well. For a brief moment, he stared in my direction. Did he notice me?


	24. The Horrifying Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and El talk about what they saw.

I jumped up as I took my blindfold off, breathing heavily. Not only have our worst fears come true, but they are much worse than we thought. Me, my family, El, Hopper, the party, and Steve all gone through Hell to fix this problem last time. Poor Bob Newby didn't even make it out alive. Now, all of that was for nothing. With Dr. Brenner alive, and with help, he would certainly go looking for me,and for El. We were in severe danger, along with everyone close to us. If that wasn't bad enough, the gate open means the Shadow Monster, or Mind Flayer, was free to wreak havoc again, and that meant that anyone and everyone was at risk of being possessed, and we wouldn't even know it.

"Will," El said softly to me as she put her arm around me to calm me down."Did you see it? Did you see Papa?" I nodded my head. She must have seen the same things I did, which would explain how she could be so calm. She must have figured that it was easier to show me what was happening than tell me.

Thanks to Eleven's comforting arm and cool composure, I calmed down relatively fast. I also knew that I couldn't help anyone if I was panicking. The next step was using my powers to move objects with my mind. Last time, I barely moved anything, and I broke down in tears. I was worried it would happen again, but I had to do this, not just for myself, but for my family, my friends, all of Hawkins, and maybe the entire world.

I sat down and focused, just like I did before, but this time, things came more naturally, and I managed to move everything in Castle Byers. I started with the pictures I drew, then the comics I kept there, then a baseball bat. This time, I felt a strange calm that was previously foreign to me. I felt like I had done this before, and this was no big deal. Technically, I guess I had done it before, but I couldn't remember anything and it was so long ago. Could that be how El feels when she uses her powers?

When I was done, I felt something dripping from my left nostril. My nose hadn't been runny recently, so it could only mean one thing: blood. El handed me a tissue. When I wiped my nose, I confirmed that it was blood. Every time El uses her powers, she bleeds from her nose, and now it was happening to me. While nobody enjoys getting a nosebleed, this was a good sign because it meant that I was developing my powers.

"Good job, Will," El said to me as she pulled me into another hug. Though I'm not always up for a hug, hers really meant something to me, especially since she understands exactly what I'm going through. "We have done enough for today. My dad is coming home soon anyway. We'll figure this out, and we'll close the gate again. I promise."

"Thanks, El," I said back. "For everything."

"You don't need to thank me," she responded. "You've done this all on your own." She headed out, leaving me alone in Castle Byers. I cleaned up the mess I made and headed back home since it was almost dinner time and I know my mom would worry. This experience made me feel an emotion that I rarely ever felt: pride. Despite the impending danger, I couldn't help smiling.


	25. Return to the Upside Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El makes plans to go to the Upside Down with Will, who doubts his abilities.

1 Month Later

For the past month, I had El visit me at Castle Byers to work on my powers. We had really grown close as friends. My new abilities were something that I still couldn't talk about with anyone else, and I was glad that I had somebody that truly understood what I was going through.

Because of these sessions, I was becoming powerful and confident in my abilities. Using sensory deprivation, I could seek out anyone at any time. I wasn't necessarily comfortable spying on people, but this ability could be useful in the upcoming battle. I also strengthened my ability to move objects with my mind; I was easily moving heavy objects with minimal stress.

On this particular day, however, El suggested that we take the next step, which would help me test my abilities and prevent the creatures from the Upside Down from entering our world. I was caught off guard by her suggestion.

"Will," she said to me, getting my attention. "We need to go to the Upside Down." Hearing those words made my heart sink. I hadn't been there in over a year, since the time I got lost and almost lost my life. My heartbeat began racing and I started breathing short, panicked breaths. I tried to hide it from her, but it was no use. She could see right through me.

"You will be fine," she reassured me.

"Are you sure?" I asked with a sense of doubt in my face. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, but I didn't think I would ever be ready to go back to such a horrible place. I still had nightmares about it, less frequently than before, but I was still at the point where I couldn't even think about it without reliving it. The dark,cold abyss, the terrifying Demogorgon, and being trapped, unable to breathe, helplessly waiting for death.

"Friends don't lie," she said as she put her hand on my back. Reluctantly, I agreed. I would have to face this sooner or later, and at least this time, I had El with me, and powers of my own. Maybe this won't be as bad?

We traveled into the woods, at the same place where I went missing. There, she pointed out a portal in the tree. It was the same portal that Nancy used to get out, but it was previously closed. With the gate reopening, it must have opened up all portals too. I was desperately hoping that we would be unable to find a portal, but there it was, and it was now or never. I shut my eyes tightly and walked in, hoping it wouldn't be as bad as I feared.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed the dark sky, the vines, the cold atmosphere, and the feelings of nothingness that came with this area.In the Upside Down, it was always dark, even if it was still daytime in the real world. The dreadful, hopeless feeling that I felt the last time I was in there had returned, and despite my attempts of staying positive, I was overwhelmed, but I knew what I had to do, so I pressed on.

I didn't get it. El didn't seem to be affected by this place at all.She seemed so calm and level-headed, like we were taking a stroll inthe park, and not fighting supernatural enemies that could easily kill us. Maybe, after those terrible experiences, she had gotten used to this area. Maybe she had fought them before, and knew that she could beat them. Maybe she was just more confident than me. Even though I was doing well in developing my powers, I had some serious doubts.


	26. Self Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and El go to the Upside Down to fight some of their creatures and protect Hawkins.

We walked silently for some time, probably about 10 minutes, but it felt like hours. The anticipation was killing me. Dangerous thoughts filled my head, making it worse. How many of them are there? Will they kill us? What if we get separated and I get stuck there again? Will I have that awful vine go down my throat again? Will I ever seethe real world again?

I tried getting these thoughts out of my head, but I couldn't do it, and I didn't want to admit these feelings to El. I didn't want her to think I was weak, especially after everything had happened. Looking back, I know she wouldn't have thought that, but that was my mindset at the time.

The time finally came, and there were about three "Demodogs" standing right in front of us. They immediately spotted us and ran directly towards us. El used her powers to push back two of them while the other went racing towards me. I tried using my powers on it, but they didn't do anything. I just couldn't focus like I needed to. All my self-doubt made it impossible for me to tap into them, so I did the only thing I could do: run.

I ran off, hoping to find a place to hide so that I could tap into my powers, but I had no such luck. There weren't any places nearby that would serve as a good hiding spot. To make it worse, I didn't notice a large vine right on my path; I was too busy looking back to see how close it was to me that I didn't see what was right in front of me, and I tripped.

The demodog growled as he brought his head down to kill me, but I rolled out of the way. I noticed a large whole where I had just laid. I knew this creature was strong, but I didn't think he'd be this strong. If I made one wrong move, I would be dead. I picked myself up and continued running, not caring which way I went as long as I could get away. I hoped that El was doing better than me.

This time, I made sure to look at what was ahead of me, but I still tripped and fell. This time, the demodog used its tail to sweep me off my feet and send me falling face first in the ground, hard. I turned around just time to see its terrifying face as it was about to kill me. There was nowhere to go. I was trapped. My powers didn't work, and I was pinned to the ground. I froze up, not knowing what to do, and hoping that somehow, it wouldn't kill me, but I knew that I was history.

As I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable, I felt a great weight lift off of me. I opened my eyes to see that El had used her powers to push it off of me. She then laid down the killing blow. I could only watch as it happened. I was in such a shock that even after she killed the last demodog, I still didn't move. She walked over to me, helping me to my feet.

"Oh no!" she yelled as she saw me. "Are you okay?" I could only nod back. "I didn't think this would happen. I'm so sorry. I'll get you home." My physical injuries were minor. I was bleeding a little bit from the forehead, and had a few minor bruises, but mentally, I was in a lot worse shape. My mouth was dry, I was drenched in sweat, and I could feel my pulse loudly pumping through my neck. She helped me to my feet and out of the Upside Down. I couldn't even bring myself to say anything; what could I say?

When we got back home, she brought out my bike.

"Tell your mom that you got hurt because you fell off your bike,"she said to me. She then put her hand on top of mine and said, "I'm so sorry. I never should have involved you in this. Don't worry. I will find another way to stop these creatures. Just stay safe."

She walked away, and I still hadn't said a word to her. I didn'tknow what happened to me, why I couldn't fight, or why I couldn't use my powers. One thing was clear: I had failed. Once I thought I could handle myself and protect the ones I love, I let everyone down. Maybe I really was a victim, a helpless child that couldn't care for himself and needed to be saved again and again. All that confidence I had over the past month was gone, and things were about to get a lot worse.


	27. The End of a Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has a terrible day.

The next day, when I went school, things didn't get any better for me. I tried not to think about what happened the previous day, or how I let El, myself, and potentially all of Hawkins, down by freezing up in the face of danger. All of that time I spent with El learning to harness and control my powers was a waste of time because I couldn't use them when I really needed them, and I felt weak and helpless once more.

To make it worse, I hadn't had the chance to talk to any of the party throughout the day, and I could have used that. Troy and James were their normal selves, making my school experience miserable yet again, and I could have used the backup. I tried ignoring them since I was in no mood to deal with any of their nonsense, but they were relentless, and I just looked like a fool who couldn't stand up for himself.

At the end of the day, I finally saw Mike. Talking to him always made me feel better, regardless of what we talked about. This time, however, was an exception. I thought things couldn't get any worse, but after this encounter, they did.

"Hey Mike. Over here," I said, waving him over. He looked back with a grimace, walking over to me in a demeanor I had never seen before. I didn't know how to react.

"Don't 'hey Mike' me," he said as he pushed me onto the ground."Do you think I'm stupid? You thought I wasn't going to find out?"I was genuinely shocked. I honestly didn't know what he was talking about, and that was the first time he ever laid his hands on me like that or even talked to me that way.

"I know about you and El," he said as he avoided eye contact. His vocal tones conveyed hurt and anger. I hadn't even gotten up yet.I was just looking at him, taking in what he was saying. "James told me he saw her going to Castle Byers. I didn't want to believe it, but I saw it myself. This is unbelievable. My friend! My best friend!" He was shouting at this point, and there was a crowd looking over, watching everything. "When you see El, tell her we're through. I guess I can't trust anybody." He walked away, and I hadn't said a word. I didn't even know what to say to him. I couldn't tell him why she was coming over every day, and if I told him there was no romantic relationship between us, he wouldn't believe me.

At this point, I was hurting, bad. The pain from getting pushed to the ground wasn't that bad, but my emotional pain was overwhelming. Mike was more than a friend, more than a best friend; he was like another brother to me, and there wasn't a single person I trusted more than him. If I wanted to, I could have gotten up, yelled back at him, or hit him back, but I just couldn't do it. As much as he hurt me, there is no way I could ever bring myself to hurt him.

As I biked home, the shock was wearing off, and the truth set in. I tried keeping it together, but I started bawling. I thought of everything we had been through together, and how he had always been there for me at my worst, and how he hated me now. In a way, this was more painful than my experience in the Upside Down and getting possessed. At least then, I had friends looking out for me, but at that moment, I felt more alone than I ever had.

I parked my bike and ran to Castle Byers. That's when I really let it out. I made sounds I never thought were even possible, and I   
didn't even care if anyone could hear me. The incident from last night compounded with what had just happened was too much for me to handle. At that point, I wished that I had died in the Upside Down, or during any of the other close encounters I had with death, so that I wouldn't have to feel this pain. I wasn't necessarily planning to kill myself, but that day, I wouldn't have minded it if I had died.

I managed to keep it together when I went inside, giving only one word answers whenever my mom or Jonathan asked me something. They could tell something was wrong, since I don't usually act that way. I know they would have helped me, but I felt like such a mess and such a burden that I didn't even want to talk to them about it. I simply told them that I had a fight with Mike, but I gave no details on what really happened. They both reassured me that things would be okay, and we'd work it out, but that did nothing for me. I simply nodded and left, reading comics and looking over old pictures. None of it helped, but at least it kept me occupied until it was time to go to bed.

My dreams offered no relief either. They involved Demogorgons killing Mike and El, and me just standing there, unable to help either of them. I woke up in a cold sweat, like I did so many times before, only to go back to sleep and dream the same thing again. This never happens with a pleasant dream, but with a nightmare, they keep coming back to haunt you.


	28. Unexpected Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gets help from an unexpected source.

I woke up the next day feeling numb. I wasn't necessarily angry or sad, but numb. After everything that happened, it was like I couldn't feel anything. I was isolated from the party; there's no way I could bring myself to talk with Dustin or Lucas while Mike might be there. I felt like El had benched me, not that I blamed her. All I had left was my family, but I wasn't ready to talk to them about what happened.

I desperately wanted to make things right with Mike, but the only way I could do that was to tell him everything what was going on. I knew that he would forgive me and be my friend again, but if I did that, he would try to help, putting himself in danger. After weighing my options, I chose not to make up with him right away, not because I didn't want to, but to protect him. I'd rather him hate me than be dead.

I expected the next day of school to be just as bad as the last one,and for the first half of the day, it was. It didn't help that Mike, Dustin,and Lucas were in most of my classes. All I could do was look in my notebook or look straight ahead, avoiding eye contact.

Near the end of lunch, I got some much needed help from an unlikely person: Max Mayfield.

"Will," she said to me as she sat right beside me. "I saw what happened yesterday. I'm sorry. Mike can be such as asshole sometimes." I nod in agreement while sitting down. "Hey, you know what? I've been thinking about cutting school for the rest of the day, why don't you come with me?"

I thought about this for a moment. I had always been a model student, getting high grades and never cutting class, but with everything happening to me, why not? I nodded my head in agreement as we head out the back door. I grabbed my bike and she grabbed her skateboard.

"Follow me," said as she hopped onto her skateboard. I was shocked at how fast she could move on her skateboard. I was having trouble keeping up with her on my bike, but she at least looked back to make sure I was behind her. I wasn't sure how to feel about this, but at least it was better than staying in school and/or moping around. After about 20 minutes, we ended up at her house.

"Come on in," she said as she grabbed her skateboard and I grabbed my bike. "Nobody's home, like usual, so there's nothing to worry about. Here, grab a soda." She took a can of "New Coke"and tossed it to me. It didn't taste bad, but I wished they would have stuck with their old formula; there was nothing wrong with it to begin with.

"So," she said casually as she sat on the couch across from me,"Is Mike just being his usual 'charming' self or is something else going on?"

"Well," I said back as I chuckled a little. "It's kind of a long story."


	29. Tough Girl Image

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Max continue their conversation.

"Spill it Byers," she sassed back at me. If this had been a small fight, I probably would have refused to tell her anything, but Mike already hated me, and it's not like things could get worse between us, so I told her everything.

"You know how El has powers, and how she used them to kill those creatures from the Upside Down?" I asked. I couldn't believe I was beginning to tell her about everything, including my powers. I hadn't told anybody about my own powers aside from El, and I thought that if I told anyone, it wouldn't be her, but here I was, spilling the beans about everything.

"Yeah?" she said as she nodded, indicating with her hands that she wanted to hear more.

"Well, I learned recently that I have them too. I was experimented on years ago, like she was. I don't remember anything about these experiments, but I learned the truth. El had been helping me harness and control these powers, but in secret. I had her come to me in Castle Byers."

"No way," she doubted me. "I think you're bullshitting me, Byers." As she said that, I used my mind to lift my coke can, which I had finished. I had it float right in front of her. "I can't believe I'm seeing this. How are you just finding out about this?"

"I'm not sure," I answered. "I was experimented on when I was three, but for some reason, the experiments stopped, and I was sent home. Poor El was experimented on until she was about 11 years old and found Mike. That's why she has full control of her powers."

"That's not all," I added. "None of us know how this happened, but the gate is slowly reopening, which is why El and I have been working together to develop my powers. She barely closed the gate last time, and things might get worse than they did last time. I was getting better at controlling my powers, but then everything went to Hell."

"How so?" she questioned. I'm not always great at reading people, but I could tell she was hanging on every word I said. I was comfortable for the first time in a while.

"We went to the Upside Down to stop some creatures that were getting close to the real world. I don't know how, but I froze up. I couldn't use my powers. I ended up running away, and El had to save me," I explained as I hung my head, avoiding eye contact in that moment. "She is worried about me, and she said she doesn't want me to help because it's too dangerous."

"I'm sorry," she said bluntly. "So, why is Mike angry with you?"

"Apparently, someone saw El sneaking into Castle Byers and told him about it," I answered. "He thinks she's cheating on him with me. She's not, but I can't explain to him why she's visiting me, or he'll be at risk."

"So," she hesitated. "Do you like her?"

"Of course," I answered. "But not like that. She's been like a sister to me, and if I'm being real honest, I don't even know if I'm ready to date yet. Even if I was, I would never do something like that to one of my friends."

"I know," she said as she walked over to where I was sitting and sat next to me. "You're such a sweet guy, I know you'd never do that. Don't worry about being ready to date yet either. It's not as great as you might think." I couldn't believe I was hearing this from her. She's always been a tomboy with a tough outer shell, making sarcastic comments and making fun of people, but here she was, being genuinely nice to me.

"Thanks Max," I responded. "I don't know what to do now. I let El down, and now Mike hates me and..."

"Mike's an asshole," Max cut me off. "He claimed to be your'friend', but pushed you on the ground in front of everybody, and didn't even give you a chance to explain himself." Max's relationship with Mike has never been great. When she first started hanging out with us, he was especially rude to her, and I noticed it, but I was dealing with my own problems at the time, so I didn't say anything.

She was blunt about it, but she did have a valid point. Mike had been a great friend to me most of the time, but he could also be frustrating to deal with as well. I certainly understood why some people didn't like him. I, however, was not one of those people. Despite our falling out, I wanted, more than anything, to make up with him and be friends again. Max must have seen that in my eyes as she immediately changed her stance.

"I know he's your best friend," she said sympathetically. "You two are practically inseparable. He might be angry, but give him time. He'll come around. When he learns the truth, I know you'll befriends again."

"Do you really think so?" I asked, unsure if what she was saying would be accurate.

"I know so," she responded as she put her hand on my back. "Like I said before, you're a sweet guy, and everyone can see that. I can see it, and we don't even know each other that well."

"Thanks, Max," I responded, genuinely comforted by her words. "I know you have this image of a tough girl who can handle anything, but you really are nice, and I appreciate you talking to me."

"Of course," she responded. "Just don't tell anyone. I have an image to maintain." She had a bit of a sarcastic, humorous tone in her voice. I chuckled, and I grabbed my things so I could go home. It was about time for school to let out, so I wasn't technically skipping school anymore, and I needed to get home so that I didn't raise any suspicions.

As I was biking home, I thought about what Max said. I didn't know if Mike and I would patch things up, but it was nice talking to her.I thought that maybe things would become clearer as time went on, and that I could focus on different things for the time being. Maybe things weren't quite as bad as I thought they were.


	30. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has a feeling that El is in trouble and leaves to help her.

I came home to an empty house, which was a good thing. If school had called, my mother wouldn't have been there to answer the phone. Thankfully, they didn't follow up, and she never found out that I cut class. For once, something actually worked in my favor.

I watched a little television, then worked on some of drawings as a distraction from my current social issues. I wanted a bigger distraction since I always found myself dwelling on it. After acouple of hours, I got that distraction, but maybe not the particular one I was looking for.

The back of my neck began tingling. At first, I ignored it, realizing there was nothing I could do for anyone after what happened with El, but it got worse, and became increasingly difficult to ignore. I not only had that to contend with, but a dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach. This wasn't concern for myself or my own well-being, but a feeling like somebody else might be in serious trouble.

I walked out of the house, noticing that when I went in different directions, the tingling in my neck would get stronger or weaker. I was scared, of course, but I had to know more. I got on my bike, going wherever that feeling would take me. While I was riding it, and the sun was setting, I came to an awful realization: this was leading me to where El and I had found the portal. Every instinct I had was telling me to turn back, but I just couldn't do it. Somebody might be in trouble, and I might be the only person to help them. I tentatively pressed on.

As it turns out, I was right. That feeling in my neck was stronger than ever when I got to the portal. Though I was hesitant to go inside last time, I dashed in as fast as I could. Maybe I was going crazy or stupid, or maybe my desire to help others made me feel brave in the moment, but I was in.

I heard the sound of a female voice screaming, confirming my suspicions. I ran towards the voice, and saw a fully grown Demogorgonon top of a teenage girl, but not just any teenage girl, Eleven. That Demogorgon was not alone. In fact there were too many for me to count, but I was determined to do what I needed to do.

Unlike last time, when I froze up, I quickly tapped into my powers, pushing the Demogorgon off of her and into the tree, hard. As I did that, it fell to the ground. I had no idea I had such strength, but there was no time to admire my handiwork. The others all came running towards the two of us. El had quickly looked back to see me, but that moment was short lived considering that we were in a lot of danger at that moment.

She brushed her self off and faced the Demogorgons.

"Stay back, Will," she said to me. "It's too dangerous." I heard her, but I wasn't about to listen. She was in danger, and I had no intention of sitting this one out. I used my powers to lift up several Demogorgons and slam them hard into the ground. I don't know if I killed them or not, but they weren't getting back up. El walked towards a couple of them, then used her powers to blow them up from the inside. I had never seen her do anything like that before, and I was impressed.

The remaining creatures ran away, obviously scared from what they just saw. As I relished our victory, I saw El crash on the ground. Her right leg was bleeding, presumably from the fight, and she must have used practically all of her energy. I was tired, and my nose was bleeding, but I was not too tired to help her. I dashed over to her and lifted her head into my arms.

"Will," she said weakly. "It's not... safe." As she said that, she passed out. Thankfully, she was still breathing. I needed to get both of us out of the Upside Down immediately, so I scooped her up and carried her in my arms. I was surprised that I was strong enough to do that. She's not a heavy person by any means, but I have never been all that strong before. I had never worked out, was very small for my age, and usually got picked last in gym class, but I had her in my arms, and was running towards the portal to the real world. Maybe it was adrenaline, but in that moment, I felt invincible.

With her in my arms, we reached my bike. I had brought my backpack with me, so I sorted through it, searching for something to help her. I grabbed a water bottle, and sat down on the ground with her in my arms.

"El, El," I said softly, trying to wake her up. After a few moments that felt like hours, her eyes fluttered open.

"Will, it's not safe," she whispered to me, still out of it.

"El, you're safe," I whispered back. "We got out. Here, drink this water." I opened the top of my water bottle, and gave it to her. After a couple of sips, she sat up, taking in everything that just happened.

"You came back," she stated. "I told you, it's too dangerous. You could've gotten killed back there."

"I know," I replied, taking in that possibility. "I felt it in my neck, and somehow, I knew that you were in trouble. I couldn't ignore it. I don't know why my powers worked this time, but I'm glad they did." She smiled back at me. I know she was a little annoyed because I did the exact opposite of what she told me to do, but it's kind of hard to be angry with someone who just saved your life.

"Hop on, El," I said after a brief, semi-awkward silence. "I'll take you home." She nodded as she got onto the back of my bike. I remembered how to get to Hopper's cabin, and had no trouble biking there. It was a long trip, but it wasn't a bad one. I had gotten my confidence back, and I saved El. For once, I wasn't the victim. I was the hero. Things weren't perfect, and I still had problems to deal with, but things were starting to look up.


	31. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's absence causes panic among his family.

I dropped El off and headed home. It was pitch black, and I came to a realization: Mom and Jonathan had to notice, by then, that I was missing. I pedaled home as fast as I could, but the damage was done. With everything that happened in the past, there was no way they were going to wait around. I knew then, what I had to do, as much as I didn't want to do it: tell them the truth.

When I got home, my fears were realized. I saw several police cars,and my mom talking to Hopper. I didn't want to worry her, but I did what I thought was necessary. Whatever she would say or do to me, I knew I could handle it. It was time to show myself and face the truth.

"Mom?" I said as I walked over to her and Hopper.

'Will!" she yelled as she embraced me in a tight hug. I could feel the tears from eyes on my shirt. I felt my heart drop, and felt sick to my stomach, knowing that I worried her so much. I felt tears falling down my face as well, realizing what I had done.

Afterwards, she didn't yell at me or punish me, but I felt so bad for worrying her again, that it was worse than if she did. I knew that this night was the right time to have that talk with her about my past. It was the only way I could explain myself.

"Where have you been?!" she asked as her voice was breaking, showing concern.

"Mom, we need talk," I said bluntly.

"We do need to talk," she responded in a calm voice. "I thought you got lost again and..."

"I know," I said as I cut her off. "I'm sorry about that. Ireally am, but that's not what I meant. I know about my past at Hawkins Lab, and what happened there. I should have told you about this earlier, but I'm doing it now. I would also like Jonathan and Hopper to be here too. They need to hear what I'm about to say."

Unlike the last time I talked to her about this, she didn't avoid the topic. She accepted the fact that I knew a lot of what happened years ago, and was ready to talk with me. I guess she knew that she would have to have this talk sooner or later, no matter how long she put it off. I wasn't necessarily angry with her for keeping this from me. She was just trying to protect me and give me a normal childhood, but this was the time, and I needed to know the truth.

I sat down in the living room with Mom, Jonathan, and Hopper. I wasn't quite sure what to say, but I knew I had to say it.

"I know that I was a Hawkins Lab experiment," I stated bluntly. It might not have been the best start, but it's not like there were perfect words for what I was going to say. "I have had dreams aboutit ever since El closed the gate. I found out that they were more than just dreams. They were memories, and when I looked it all up, I knew they were real. I discovered that I have powers, just like El does, that have been laying dormant for most of my life, but now, they have awakened."

Hopper and Jonathan looked genuinely shocked at what I was saying, but my mother did not. I think she knew about everything I was saying.

"This probably explains why the Upside Down has been so interested in me," I added. "Every 'normal' person that went to the Upside Down did so because they, or something near by, were bleeding, but I was not. I got chased, and before I knew it, I was in there, with no way out. I think this explains why the Mind Flayer chose me as well. I didn't understand why, but now I know that he did it because he wanted access to my powers. I thought I was the unluckiest person in the world, but now I know that these things happened to me for a reason."

"But what about the number?" Hopper interjected. "Every one experimented on at Hawkins Lab had a number tattooed on their arm, and you don't have one."

"That's not quite true," I responded. "I have been meeting with El for the last month and a half, working on developing and controlling my powers. She pointed to my arm, and noticed that it wasn't a birthmark like I thought, but a number. My tattoo must have been removed, with the scar looking like a birthmark. I did somethings to reveal my number. It's 007."

That number was kind of ironic for a couple of reasons. The first is that it was the same number as James Bond, the fictional super-spy. I had always been good at hiding, so I guess it was fitting for me to have that number. The second reason I found that ironic is that seven is considered to be a lucky number, but I have always felt like I was the unluckiest kid on Earth after everything that had happened to me in the last few years.

"Will," Mom said in a calming voice. "I'm sorry. I had to..."

"Mom, it's fine," I said, cutting her off. "I know you did this to protect me, and you did, but now, it's time for me to learn the truth. This is not just for my sake, but maybe all of Hawkins. The gate is open again. I felt it and El felt it. I can't help close the gate and protect everyone if I don't know the truth."

"What about Eleven," Jonathan asked. "She closed it last time, so why do you have to get involved?

"It's much worse this time," I responded. "Hawkins Lab is back, and Dr. Brenner is still alive. He and his men have not only opened the gate, but have learned to control the creatures in the Upside Down. El is strong, but she can't fight them all on her own. She needs my help, which is why she has been training me."


	32. The Truth Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joyce tells Will the truth about his history with Hawkins Lab.

"No," Mom responded. "I will not let you get into this fight. We will find another way."

"There is no other way," I responded bluntly. "Thank you for everything, Mom. Thank you for finding me after I got lost. Thank you for burning the Mind Flayer out of me instead of letting me die. You too Jonathan. Thank you for not giving up on me. Hopper, thank you for helping my mom save me from the Upside Down, and reviving me when I couldn't breathe. All of you, and my other friends, have always looked out for me. It's time for me to return the favor."

"She said no," Hopper responded. "You're 13 years old. This isn't your fight. I can get Hawkins shut down. You're not doing this,and neither is El."

"I'll tell you the truth," Mom chimed in. "But only if you promise not to fight those things. Do you promise?" I nodded my head in agreement. I didn't think there was any way to keep that promise, and I hated lying to her yet again, but this was the only way to learn the truth.

Mostly, she told me what I already learned on my own. She told me about how Hawkins Lab had taken an interest in me as soon as I was born, and how they abused their privileges to take me in, claiming that my cough was unusual, and they had to take me in. In any other town, there was no way they would have gotten away with this, but Dr. Brenner had enough money and power to influence the government to allow this. Despite my mother's best efforts and her persistence, there was nothing she could do to take me home.

Dr. Brenner saw great potential in me, but as time went on, I became increasingly stubborn and rebellious towards him, apparently more so than even Eleven. He persisted for quite some time due to my great potential, but because of my destructive behavior, he gave up, realizing that if he couldn't control me at the age of three, he had no chance of controlling me when I got older, bigger and stronger. His solution was to send me back home, under the condition that I never learn about the truth about what happened there, or use any of my powers. That is why she was so reluctant to tell me the truth, and why I didn't know anything about my powers until recently.

I know I made a promise, but I had to see this through the end. No normal person could stop this disaster from happening. Brenner wanted to use me as a weapon, but gave up on me once he knew he couldn't control me. I don't know this for sure, but it's very possible that he was behind my trip to the Upside Down and possession by the Mind Flayer. Most likely, these were all his attempts of getting rid of me because he knew that I could stop him, and if he did all of that, he wasn't going to give up, and who knows what else he had planned for me.


	33. Return to the Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will reconnects with the party.

When I returned to school, I continued avoiding people. It might not have been the best thing for me to do, but it was all I could think of. Mike and I hadn't said a word to each other or even made eye contact since our big blow-up, and I was avoiding Dustin and Lucas. I don't know whose side they would take, but with everything supernatural going on, I didn't have time to get involved in any of that.

Despite my best efforts, I did interact with someone: Lucas.

"Will!" he shouted from across the hall. "We're playing D&D at my place tonight. You in?" I was shocked. I didn't expect him to even speak to me, much less invite me over to his house. "The game starts at 7. Don't skip out or we'll find out." I chuckled to myself. I know he just wanted me to have a good time, but didn't he know what happened with Mike? I doubt he would want to see me again after what happened.

Nevertheless, I decided to show up. For some reason, the party still wanted to see me, and they invited me over. Maybe Mike had cooled off? I didn't know what to expect, but my curiosity was piqued.

When I got there, I saw Dustin and Lucas, but not Mike. The game was set up and ready to go, but I was more interested in what was going on. When they saw me, they acted as if nothing had happened, and greeted me enthusiastically.

"At last!" Dustin proclaimed. "Will the Wise has arrived. Once again, we seek your guidance." I got into character for a brief moment, but I needed to address the elephant in the room.

"Where's Mike?" I asked.

"Don't worry about him," Lucas responded. "Tonight is about our campaign, not Mike. He will not be here tonight." As much as I wanted more information, I went along with it. I still wanted to make things right, but I also wanted to have a good time with my other friends, and I was happy I could still spend time with them.

Throughout the night, he was still on my mind, but I focused on having fun with Dustin and Lucas. I didn't know if they had chosen me over Mike or if they had felt sorry for me after what happened, but I didn't ask. To be honest, I was scared at what the answer might be.

We completed the campaign in 3 hours, which is kind of short for this kind of thing, but it was still fun. Even so, Mike was missing, and we all noticed it in the game. He had always acted like a leader, so without him, we all felt lost.

As I was leaving to go home, Lucas stopped me. "Hey Will," he said. "I'm sorry about what happened with Mike. I don't know what happened, but I know you, and I know you're an awesome guy. Dustin and I don't want to take sides; we just want you two to be friends again."

"Yeah," I said as I sighed. "Me too."

"You might not like this," Lucas responded tentatively. "But,you might have to make the first move. I know him, and I know that he probably feels bad about what happened, but I don't think he'll reach out to you."

"I don't know. According to the party rules, he drew first blood, so shouldn't he be the one to apologize."

"Yes," he said back quickly. "But, when it comes to El, he acts strange. I think that if you explain what happened, he'll apologize on his own."

"I don't know." I wanted things to be right between us, but it would reflect badly on me and there was still the issue of the gate reopening, which I couldn't even tell Lucas bout.

"Just think about it."

"Sure," I responded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"It's good to have you back, Will the Wise," he said as I biked my way back home.


	34. Proving Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will attempts to help El once again.

I thought about what Lucas said. I really did, but I still chose not to reach out to Mike yet. He was still in danger if I told him the truth, and I couldn't risk that. I needed to focus on working with El to close the gate. After that, I could set things right, but his safety was more important to me than his friendship.

I biked my way over to Hopper's cabin the next day. He was still working, as was my mom, so I was free to go over there. Even after helping her, I still wasn't sure if she wanted to work with me, but I knew that it was something I had to do. I discovered a quicker route to get there, and made my way inside.

"Hi El," I greeted her, hoping that she would openly accept my help.

"Will," she responded, looking on the ground, avoiding eye contact. "Thank you for your help, but I can do this by mysel..."

"No," I cut her off. "I won't let you do this alone. I'm sorry I let you down before, but I'm ready now."

"It's not safe," she retorted, still avoiding eye contact. "I closed the gate before and I can do it again."

"It's stronger than before. I know it and you know it."

"I'll figure something out, but I won't put you in any more danger. Not after everything you've been through."

"Like you did the other day?" I asked, immediately regretting it the moment I said it.

"I was handling it," she responded loudly. At this point, she was looking at me straight in the eye. "I didn't need your help then and I don't need it now." Those words felt like a punch to the gut, but I didn't relent.

"I need to do this!" I shouted back. I didn't even realize at the time that I was screaming.

"Why?" she asked as she took a few steps back. "What are you trying to prove?"

"That I'm not a victim!" I shouted back, quickly putting my hands over my mouth. I couldn't believe that I actually said that, but it was true. Maybe I was fooling myself, thinking that I was doing this for her, Mike, my family, or Hawkins. Maybe I was being selfish, but that was how I felt. I was so tired of feeling weak and helpless all the time, and having to depend on others. I honestly didn't know for sure if she really needed my help, but I needed to help her.


	35. Stronger Than You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and El continue discussing why Will wanted to help her, and he talks to his family.

What happened next was an awkward, uncomfortable silence. I expected Eleven to yell back, and I wouldn't have blamed her if she did, but that was not what happened. She took several deep breaths and draped her arm over my shoulder.

"Will," she said softly. "You're not a victim. You're smart, brave, tough, and the nicest person I know. You survived the Upside Down for over a week, with no powers. You survived possession, and even gave us the message to close the gate when you couldn't speak. We would have died if it weren't for you." I nodded, holding back tears. Her words to me were genuine. They always were. I know that some people lie to protect other's feelings, but not her. As she always says, friends don't lie.

"Thanks El," I said back to her, wiping away the single tear that went down my face. "I'm sorry for what I said. I trust you, and if you say you can handle this on your own, then I believe you. As I headed towards the door, she grabbed my arm.

"No," she said. "I didn't want you to put yourself in danger, but you're a lot stronger than even I thought you were. I might be able to handle this by myself, but you did save me, so maybe I do need help. If you want to come along and back me up, I won't stop you, but if you want out, I'll understand." That was the best answer I could hope for. I wasn't quite sure if she trusted me in this situation, but I got another chance, and this time, I knew what to do.

"I think it's time for me to head home, but I'll help you any way I can. Where and when do you want to meet?"

"I think you already know the answer. Feel it out. You know where the Demogorgons are coming from, and all you have to do is feel it out. I'll meet you there tomorrow." I nodded, thanked her, and went home. I actually left at a reasonable time, and would be home before it was too late.

When I got home, Mom and Jonathan knew something was different about me. After El helped me see things from a new, positive perspective, I held my head up high. That's when I realized that even though we can't control everything that happens to us, we can control how we deal with them. I showed strength and courage when I needed to, and I wasn't weak, like I thought I was.

During dinner, I made the decision to tell Mom and Jonathan about my discussion with El. I purposefully left out the details on how I was planning on going with her to the Upside Down, but I figured it couldn't hurt to tell them what we talked about.

"Hey Will," Jonathan said as he smiled at me. "You seem a lot happier today. I'm glad to see it."

"Yeah. I actually went over to Hopper's cabin to talk to El."

"Hopper's cabin?" Mom asked. "You know that's too far away to ride your bike."

"I know, Mom," I answered. "But I found a shortcut, and it doesn't take me long to get there. After all, I got back here quickly, didn't I?"

"I guess," she said back to me. "I just get worried. You know me."

"I know," I said back. "I wanted to tell you about what we talked about."

"What is it?" Jonathan asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

"Well, we talked about what has happened to me over the last year, and how I've been feeling about it. I've felt bad, like I was a burden to everyone, and needed to be saved, but she helped me see things a different way. I'm not weak or helpless. I'm strong and brave for getting through all of it, and I've helped a lot of people."

"That's right," Jonathan responded. "We never thought you were weak. You've been through a lot, but you're a lot tougher than you think you are. I don't know what would have happened if any of that happened to me. I'm just glad you were strong enough to come back to us." Even though he can be socially awkward at times, he always had his moments, especially when talking to me. It's like he always knew exactly what to say whenever we talked.

That night, I slept well, with no nightmares or weird dreams. I knew what I had to do, and that it would be tough, but I was ready. I was tough, brave, and powerful, and with El by my side, I felt unstoppable.


	36. They're Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and El return to the Upside Down to face a major threat.

The next day at school went by smoothly and was uneventful. I only felt uncomfortable around Mike, and I knew that it wouldn't be long before I made things right. I spent most of the day thinking about the fact that I was going back to the Upside Down with El tonight to fight off the Demogorgons. Even though I knew it would be dangerous, I remained calm. I had control over my powers, and I was ready for whatever was coming my way.

After school, I met with El to take them on. I told my mom that I would be staying late so she wouldn't worry, and I was confident that I was coming back in one piece. When she arrived, she had the same calm, but determined, demeanor. After a couple of moments, she spoke.

"Will," she said calmly. "You don't have to do this. I will be okay."

"No," I responded calmly, but firmly. "I'm with you. I'm ready. Let's do this." She nodded as we made our way inside.

We entered the Upside Down, marching towards the Demogorgons with our heads held high and our eyes glued to their faces. We were headed straight for the war zone, showing no fear. One of them opened its face, but neither of us flinched. Instead, it took a step back, perhaps surprised that we weren't afraid, but then, they all rushed towards us at once.

I was surprised at how they swarmed around us, but I was ready. I stuck out my hand, pushing one of them back into a tree. I then lifted another one, slamming it into the other one that I threw into the tree.

"Will, above you!" El shouted. One of the Demogorgons had leaped into the air with its face open, seconds away from eating me with its large, terrifying face. I got on the ground and quickly rolled outthe way. It looked back at me, opening its face once again and barreling towards me at lightning speed.

"Ahhh!" I screamed as I stretched out my arm, stopping it in its tracks. As I started directly at it, I tilted my head. In a matter of seconds, it dissolved into ashes. I felt blood dripping from my nose, but I didn't even bother wiping it off. There was one more Demogorgon coming for us, and it were bigger and stronger than the ones we fought before.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared at this point, but I refused to back down. I thought of everything that was at stake here, El, Mike, my closest friends, my family, and the only home I've-ever known. If I failed, not only would I die, but so would everything I've ever known or loved.

Without hesitating, I used my powers on it. To my surprise, it slowed down, but it didn't stop. I put every bit of energy I had in stopping him, but he was too strong for me. I thought I was done for, but instead of eating me, he backhanded me, knocking me to the ground; it felt like I was just hit by a truck. I didn't understand this at the time, but I was not his primary target. He wanted El.

I couldn't let him get to her, so I willed myself up. Getting back to my feet was tougher than I ever thought it would be. My forehead was dripping with blood, and every movement I made hurt worse than I could imagine, but I refused to give up. He was coming towards El, and I didn't even think she would strong enough to stop him by herself.

I willed myself to my feet. I could hardly fine my balance and my vision was blurry, but I knew what I had to do. El was using all of her strength to keep him back, but he was still coming. With all of my energy, I ran to her side and reached out my hand. She was yelling something, but I was so disoriented that I couldn't make out any of what she was saying. I just stayed focused on the Demogorgon and stopping him.

My vision became blurrier, and I was losing all control over my body, but I saw him get slammed down onto the ground. He got up, opened his face, and started walking towards us again briefly before turning around and running away. I wasn't sure at the time, but I swore I could hear a male, adult human voice, but I couldn't make out who it was. Then, the inevitable happened. I blacked out. I could only hold out for so long, and I used every bit of energy I had.

I woke up with my head cradled in Eleven's arms. We were just outside of the Upside. I had no idea if I was out for a couple minutes or several hours.

"Will," she whispered to me.

"Sorry," I said back.

"For what? You saved me"

"I passed out. I couldn't beat him."

"I couldn't beat him, but with your help, we stopped him."

"He's still alive."

"Yes," she responded. I sat up and took a drink of water. My head was throbbing, but I could see and think clearly. "That's not all. Do you feel it."

"Yes," I said back. "There are Demogorgons here in our world. We failed. That's not even the worst part. I think I know where they went." She nodded back to me and looked me in the eye, knowing what I was going to say.

"They're going for Mike's house."


	37. Attack of the Demodogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and El race over to the Wheeler house to save Mike and his family from the creatures from the Upside Down.

My heart sank at the realization that Mike and his family were in danger. Even though we weren't on the best terms at that moment, I couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt, or worse. My body was sore, and I was still tired, but there was no time to waste, and I had to get there as soon as I could. I could tell by El's expression that she felt the same way, so we got on our bikes and pedaled faster than we ever had before.

Since I had been there so many times, I knew the route to his house pretty well. I wasn't even checking to make sure that I was traveling safely; thankfully, I didn't fall or crash. I could barely feel my legs, but I pressed on, hoping beyond hope that I was wrong, but the closer I got, the more I could feel it.

I got to his house just in time, with El close behind me, and it was swarming with demodogs. They were surrounding the house, but only his house. It was that moment that I suspected that they were targeting him, and they were doing so under somebody's orders. Whoever it was must have known about Mike's involvement with Eleven, and he was in more danger than I feared.

El and I slammed our bikes into the ground and ran right towards the house, clearing our own way to the door by throwing every creature out of our way using our powers. We wanted to kill every one of them, but our priority was saving Mike and his family.

The door was locked, but I used my powers to break it and get us inside. It was quiet, eerily quiet. I considered the possibility that the worst had happened and they were already dead, but I soon heard a noise, a familiar sounding scream; it was Mike. We ran towards the sound of the scream, unaware of a demodog following us.

The scream lead us to the basement, where we had played Dungeons and Dragons so many times, but this time, the threats were real. When we got there, we noticed a demodog on top of Mike, preparing to kill him. To make it worse, the demodog that was following us tackled El to the ground.

"Forget me!" screamed Eleven. "I can take this. Save Mike!"

"Will, run!" Mike screamed as he noticed us coming in.

'Aaahhh!" I screamed as I ran towards the demodog on top off him. I knew it was up to me, so I lifted it off of him and threw it as hard as I could into the wall, leaving a big hole, but killing it instantly. Mike's eyes bulged out of his head as he laid there speechless.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded, still holding that shocked expression on his face. When I faced El, she was on her feet with blood coming out of her nose, but otherwise unharmed. I was right to trust her as she killed her demodog as well. She and I looked around, checking for more of those creatures.

"Will," Mike said softly. "I'm sor..."

"No time Mike," I cut him off. "Where is the rest of the family. Are they okay?"

"Yeah. My parents went to a friend's house with Holly, and Nancy's out with Jonathan."

"Mike," El cut in. "Stay here. There are more of them outside. Mike nodded and I went upstairs with El to take care of the rest of them."

Knowing that Mike was safe, we focused all of our energy on the demodogs surrounding the house, combining our powers and taking them out one by one. They kept coming, but we kept fighting back, slamming them into trees, into each other, and onto the ground with enough force to create a small hole in the ground. After defeating what felt like a thousand demodogs, we finally cleared the area. We carefully inspected every area, making sure that we got all of them. The tingling in my neck went away, letting us know that they were gone, for now.


	38. Friendship Renewed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and Will reconcile, but the threat has not yet been eliminated.

We went back into the house to check on Mike. He was understandably shaken up, but he was safe. His injuries were minor, but if we hadn't arrived when we did, he would have been dead. The demodogs are weaker than the demogorgons, but they are still extremely dangerous, especially to humans without powers. After all, it was one of them that killed Bob in a matter of seconds.

Mike let us stay in his house for the time being, allowing us to have anything in the refrigerator, but only saying a few words, possibly because of what happened or the awkward moment we had the last time we spoke.

"Will," El spoke softly to me. "I'm going to talk to Mike, but when we get back, I think you two need to talk." I nodded my head, sipping on the ice-water I was drinking. With everything that happened recently and all he witnessed, it was time for me to explain everything to him, and it was time for us to make up and become friends again. I was ready for this. In fact, I had been ready for quite some time. I laid back, closed my eyes relaxed, and gathered my thoughts as I waited to have this conversation.

After a couple of moments, I heard his voice.

"Will," he said to me, getting my attention. I opened my eyes and stood up. El was not in the room.

"Mike, I wanted to tell you earlier, but I..." I said as he cut me off, wrapping me into a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered into my ear. "Thank you so much. I'm so sorry for what I did to you. Please forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you," I responded as we broke apart. "I know you were hurting, and I know it looked bad, but I couldn't tell you about this."

"Why not? I would have helped you."

"That's why. You saw what happened back there. If I told you everything, I know you would have helped me, but I couldn't risk anything happening to you."

"So," he said with a grin on his face. "Spill it. When did you get superpowers? I've known you forever, and I've never seen you use any superpowers until today."

"Well," I responded. "It's kind of a long story, but basically, I was experimented on at Hawkins Lab, just like El was. This happened a long time ago, before we even met, and I didn't remember any of it until recently. They came to me in my dreams, and I learned the truth. El had been helping me use and control my powers. That's why we were spending so much time together."

"I should have known. You're my best friend, and you're too nice to do something like that to me. I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm sorry."

"Mike, you don't need to keep apologizing to me. I have already forgiven you. After everything we've been through, you're not only my best friend, but my brother. To be honest, I'm not even ready for a relationship with anybody right now, but if I was, I wouldn't do that to you. I've gotten to know El a lot recently, and I see what you see in her. I do love her, but as a sister. She was so nice and understanding to me, and my friendship with her means a lot to me. I hope that's okay with you."

"Of course it is. I'm happy that you two are friends, and with your powers, it's good that you have someone that can help you." I nodded.

After a brief moment of silence, Mike spoke up and said, "So, it must be pretty cool having powers, right? I've got to remember not to piss you off. I've seen what you can do." He chuckled.

"Nah," I responded as I chuckled as well. "I'd never use them on you, but Troy, that's another story." We both broke out in laughter again, but it was broken up when I felt something in my neck; it started tingling again.

"Mike, Will!" El yelled as she barged in the room. "Something big is coming. Will, I know you feel it too. Mike, you need to get out of here now."

"Oh, hell no!" he yelled back. "These fuckers are going to pay for what they did." He grabbed a baseball bat. Before we could even argue with him, we heard the doorbell ring. _Could that be the demogorgons_ , I thought. _Since when do they ring the doorbell_.

The three of us cautiously made our way to the front door. The lock was broken from earlier, but it was still closed. When we opened the door, we didn't see any demogorgon. We saw all of our closest friends and family outside, with weapons. We saw Lucas, Dustin, Max, my mom, Jonathan, Nancy, Steve, and Hopper.

"We saw what happened," Hopper said as he broke the silence."You kids did a great job of taking out those creatures, but there are more on the way. You step back, and we'll handle it from here."


	39. This is War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of Will's family and friends have arrived to help in the fight against the creatures from the Upside Down in an all-out war.

"Wait, wait," I said to Hopper, blocking him from coming in. "El and I have been handling things, and you have no idea what you're up against. I have powers, just like her, and..."  
"Yeah, we know," Hopper interrupted. "But you can't beat them on your own. We won't let you."

"Hey little brother," Jonathan chimed in. "You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you? We're in this together." I sighed as I let everyone in. It's not that I couldn't use their help, it's that I didn't want them in harm's way. People have gotten hurt and/or killed because of me, and I wanted that to stop. If anything happened to any of them, there's no way I would have been able to forgive myself.

We all got into position, not knowing exactly what to expect. I still wasn't sure it was a good idea for them to join us. They may have fought creatures from the Upside Down before, but this time was different. There were more creatures, and they were stronger and more powerful than before. Even worse, they were controlled by someone from Hawkins Lab, making them even more dangerous.

There wasn't much time to ponder, however, because they arrived quickly and in larger numbers than we even expected. It was at this moment that I really wished they hadn't arrived. Even with their weapons, I didn't think they'd be able to hold their own in this battle.

We ran outside charging at them. There were demogorgons of all sizes along with demodogs, and they all looked like they were out for blood. First, a demodog came for my leg. Thinking quickly I kicked it into the air, then used my powers to blow it up.

Before I could celebrate that minor victory, I felt pressure against my neck. A demogorgan had grabbed me from behind. He was trying to choke me, and it was working; it was becoming harder and harder to breathe, and I was beginning to black out. I looked around for help, but everyone else was too preoccupied in their own battle, so I was on my own.

I was getting better at controlling my powers, but there was no way I could use them while getting choked out, so I needed to do something else. I resorted to my baser instincts, opening my mouth, biting down on his arm as hard as I could. I didn't want to use this strategy, but I had no other choice. I bit down and refused to let go. It didn't seem to work at first, but after a couple of seconds, his grip loosened. I saw my opening and took it, elbowing him right in the face, creating space between the two of us, turning around, and blowing him up.

It took a couple of moments to catch my breath, but once I did, I checked on everybody else. I didn't need to check on El because I knew she could handle herself. It was the others I was worried about, and my concerns were well-founded. No one was dead yet, but they weren't doing well. Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve were on the ground, while Mike, Dustin, and Lucas were running away. Hopper was shooting at a Demogorgon, but the bullets did nothing.

There was no way I could kill all of them, especially since I was getting worn down. I knew that to be true, but as Will the Wise always does, I used my smarts to help my friends. I couldn't kill them all, but I could hurt them all. I walked to each of my friends and extended my hand, pushing them down, and making them vulnerable.

It appeared to be working, and we gained the advantage. Mike blinded one and beat it with a flashlight, Dustin sprayed one with hairspray and used that opportunity to punch it repeatedly, Lucas used his slingshot to hit one right in the perfect spot, Jonathan and Steve beat several of them with baseball bats, Nancy made perfect shots on some of them, and Hopper punched and shot a few of them. El was killing the smaller creatures one by one, making sure no one was getting blindsided. Everything was going our way, or so I thought.


	40. The Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gets blindsided, captured, and forced to face his greatest fear.

Emerging from the shadows came the large demogorgon that El and I fought earlier. Somehow, it seemed larger and more terrifying than it was when we fought it in the Upside Down. I looked for El, but I couldn't find her, so I had to fight it by myself. To my surprise, he started walking the other way. I didn't understand why he did it at the time, but it would all make sense to me soon.

I followed him, worrying about what he would do to innocent people if I just let him go. I didn't know if I could beat him, but if anyone were to get hurt, it would be my fault, so I had to try. I extended my hand, doing my best to eliminate him, or at least slow him down, but before I could do anything, I felt a sharp pain in my neck. This wasn't from a demogorgon or even a demodog. It was a syringe.

I turned around, but I couldn't see who did it. I started feeling dizzy and everything started to become blurry. That's when I realized that whatever I was injected with was the same drug used to knock me out when I was possessed by the Mind Flayer. What was more terrifying was the fact that where I was, I was far from everybody else, and no one could see me. I tried screaming for help, but I couldn't make a sound. I tried my best to fight the effects of the drug, but they were too strong and all went black.

I woke up to bright lights in my eyes. I tried getting up, but I gasped in horror as I realized that I was strapped to a table. The straps were made of metal, and as much as I tried, I couldn't break it. I even used my powers, but all I managed to do was make one of the lights flicker and burn out.

My breathing became short, panicked breaths. I could feel sweat forming on my forehead, like I was in a sauna or something like that, but it wasn't hot in the room. In fact, it was rather chilly. Tears burned into my eyes and I started shaking uncontrollably. I was having a panic attack, and things were only going to get worse.

I tried using my powers to reach out to someone, anyone, but I couldn't. I couldn't use that ability without a blindfold and static,and even if I could, in my mental state, there was no way I could calm myself down enough.

I could only hope that someone had seen what happened to me and was on their way to help me, but even if that happened, it was yet another time I got in over my head and needed to be saved. As much as I tried to convince myself that I was not a victim, that's exactly what I was.

I wasn't even sure if El and the others made out okay, or if they'd ever even find me, but to me, it didn't even matter. I didn't think there was any way they could get to me in time. I was as good as dead, and I thought that it might be better that way. I would no longer be anyone's burden, and I could finally be free of this pain.

I don't know how long I was laying there before I heard a door open.

"Look who's finally awake" a voice spoke. It was strangely familiar, and I closed my eyes tight as if doing so would make him disappear. I was afraid that this voice belonged to the main responsible for everything that has happened to me and the city of Hawkins over the last year: Dr. Martin Brenner.

When I opened my eyes, my fears where confirmed. I knew what he looked like in my dreams, and he was clearly older, but I had no doubt in my mind that it was him. I had wanted to confront him, but not like this: trapped and helpless.

"It's been a long time, Seven," he said after a long, awkward silence. "We have a lot to talk about."


	41. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will learns why everything has happened to him up to this point.

Hearing those words coming from him sent a chill up my spine. I closed my eyes tightly and frantically struggled against my restraints. I didn't know what he had planned for me and I didn't want to know, so I shut my eyes as tightly as I could, flailed, and screamed as loud as I could, as if doing so would make him disappear. After a couple of moments, I stopped screaming and opened my eyes, still hoping that he had left, but that wasn't the case.

"Now, now," Dr. Brenner said to me calmly as he circled the table. "Is that any way to treat your papa? Surely I taught you better than that."

"You're not my father!" I screamed, practically spitting on him."You're nothing!"

"On the contrary," he responded, maintaining his calm demeanor."I am the one that gave you your powers and helped develop them. You owe everything to me, and now it's time to collect."

"You took me from my mom when I was only a child! You tortured me and you tortured other children. Let me go!"

"I know I was strict with you, but you needed it. It's what made you so strong. I've been watching you. I knew you were powerful, but you became more powerful than even I thought you were, but I had to test that power. I tested it twice, and I did so recently. Good news, my son. You passed."

Upon hearing those words, a wave of shock hit me like a splash of cold water in the face. That time that I got lost in the Upside Down and the time that I got possessed by the Mind Flayer were both carefully planned. I wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just unlucky; I was targeted and tested for a reason, and he was behind it. Looking at him filled me with more anger and hatred than I had ever felt before. All of the misery and pain that I had dealt with was because of him. His actions lead to my trauma, and they hurt my family, friends, and all of Hawkins. Some unfortunate people lost their lives because of him, like Barb, who was Nancy's friend, and Bob, who made my mom happy. I was finally face-to-face with the man responsible, but I couldn't do anything about it.


	42. The Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gets an unexpected offer.

"You bastard!" I screamed at him. "How could you do this tome, and to everyone around me?"

"It was necessary," he responded in that same calm demeanor. His composure in this situation angered me even more. How could anyone remain calm in this situation? It felt like I was yelling at a wall."What if I told you that the world needs you? I wasn't doing this to hurt you or anyone else, but you know as good as anyone that the Upside Down is dangerous, and if it isn't dealt with, it could mean the end of life as we know it."

For the first time since ending up here, I was speechless. I knew that he had control over those creatures, so why would he want them dead? Why did he choose me to help him? I didn't know exactly what he was up to, but I knew I couldn't trust him. I kept my eyes glued to his eyes as he continued to speak to me.

"I know you, perhaps better than you know yourself," he continued. "I know your mother, your sweet mother..."

"Don't talk about her!" I screamed cutting him off.

"And I know you. I know that you're a nice and caring child that would do anything for your friends and family. I know your friends and how much they mean to you. I also know that you have been talking to Eleven, another one of my children; your sister. Most importantly, I know that you have felt like a victim and a burden on others and that you want to be a hero. I can give you everything you've always wanted. Join me, and you'll be the hero you've always wanted to be. You won't be a victim anymore. I promise."

I laid there staring at him. I didn't know what to say. He read me perfectly and was spot on. I thought about denying those claims, but I knew he would see right through me. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't consider his offer. As evil as I had always thought he was,maybe there was a reason behind it, and from a different point of view, he wasn't the bad guy I thought he was. I convinced myself not to buy into anything he was telling me. He was clearly trying to get into my head, but how could he know so much about me, and how could he give me everything I wanted.

"I know this is a lot to take in," he said, breaking the awkward, uncomfortable silence. "I'll give you some time to think about it, but there really is only one good choice. I promise I'm not as bad as you think I am." He left the room, leaving me shocked and actually contemplating what he was going to say. I have no idea how long he was gone before coming back, but sure enough, he did, and he was ready for me to make my decision.

"Number Seven, I have given you time to think about what I said. You're a smart kid, so I trust that you made the right decision. You will join me and help me save everyone. Then, I can let you out, and you can tell me where to find Eleven. We will need her help as well. With you on my side, I know we can convince her to join us. Now, tell me what I already know."

"No," I responded bluntly.

"What?" he responded, looking genuinely shocked.

"N-no," I responded with a sense of fear in my voice.

"That's a shame," he responded, shaking his head. "I was hoping we could do this the easy way, but I guess it's not your style. Help me catch Eleven. Do that, and I might just let you and your worthless friends live." He was showing his true colors now. For a brief moment, I had thought he was genuinely misunderstood and had good intentions, but now, after seeing his reaction, it was clear that he only wanted me for his selfish desires.

"N-no," I responded. I tried to make myself sound firm and tough, but when I said it, I sounded weak and scared. I didn't know how he'd react, but I wouldn't put my friend in any danger.

He scrunched up his face, looking like he was about to scream at me, but he didn't.

"It's a damn shame," he said while shaking his head. "I guess I'm going to have to resort to some more persuasive methods."


	43. The Ultimatum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Brenner gives Will one last chance to join him before taking more drastic measures.

I didn't know what to expect at this point, but I knew it was trouble. Dr. Brenner wasn't the kind of person to make angry, and I had no idea exactly what he was capable of. I did my best to appear brave, but in reality, I was scared out of my mind, more so than when I was in the Upside Down, or possessed by the Mind Flayer. At least then, I had people close by trying to help me, but here, no one had any idea where I was. I was on my own, and at the mercy of an evil, sadistic man.

I continued shutting my eyes tightly, almost as if I were to do it hard enough, I would be able to escape my current situation.

"Now, now," he said to me, lightly slapping my face, causing me to open my eyes. "I know you think I'm a bad guy, but I assure you that I am not. I could have killed you by now, but I didn't. I could have tortured you, but I didn't. It isn't just me that needs you, it's all of humanity. I didn't enjoy doing experiments on you or Eleven, but it was necessary, and if I don't get your help, it could mean the end of the human race."

I was genuinely surprised by what he was saying. I wasn't buying it, but I had no idea what he meant when he said that if he didn't get help from me or El, that humanity could end.

"I know that it's hard to understand," he said to me. "But I promise you will after you join me. Trust me. No one knows more about you than me. I have already proven that. Can you tell me one thing I said about you so far that wasn't true?"

I stared back at him blankly, not sure what to say. He was right, but I wasn't going to admit that, and it didn't make a difference anyway. I knew exactly who he was and what he had done. I didn't know exactly what his plans were, but I knew I couldn't trust him.

"Your silence is all the confirmation I need," he said as he broke the awkward silence. "Join me. Do the right thing. Nothing is worth letting the human race die, is it?"

I continued staring at him blankly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but I knew that joining him would be like selling my soul to the devil. Though I couldn't tell if any of what he was telling me was true, my gut was telling me that he was evil, and there was no way I would join him.

"God damn it," he said as he sighed. "I knew you were stubborn, but I really didn't want it to come to this." He then attached electrodes to my head, the same ones from my visits with Dr.Owens, but this would be worse. Much worse.


	44. The Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Brenner begins torturing Will for his cooperation.

I tried shaking the electrodes off of my head, but with my arms and legs restrained, I couldn't get them off. My body started shaking in fear, and it wouldn't stop. My breathing became quick and heavy, and I started hyperventilating again.

"I don't want to do this," he said as he walked over to the machine connected to the electrodes. "But in this case, the end justifies the means."

As he pressed a button, I immediately felt sharp pains in my head at every point. It felt like a bunch of tiny hornets were stinging me at once, but they wouldn't stop. My face scrunched up as I resisted the urge to scream. I refused to give him the satisfaction. I did, however, feel one tear flowing down my face.

"This is only the beginning," he said to me coldly. "Join me. Help me in my mission and your pain will stop." I stared back at him attempting to look angry, but I only ended up looking scared and lost.

He pressed the button again, and this time, it was even more excruciating. I felt tears flowing from both of my eyes and closed my mouth tight so he wouldn't hear me scream. The amount of pain I was feeling was about the same as that time those soldiers used a flamethrower on the Upside Down.

"I know you're hurting. I know you don't want to hurt your friends, but you have to do this. Please join me, and I will stop."I stared at the ceiling, hoping and praying that somebody, anybody, would come into the room and save me. I wasn't even thinking about the fact that I was sick of being rescued. I just wanted the pain to stop.

He pressed the button again, and it was at that moment that I felt the greatest amount of pain I had ever felt. The electricity went throughout my entire body, and I could feel the flame everywhere. As much as I had resisted the urge to do so, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was sobbing uncontrollably and could barely hear anything over the sound of my own voice. I struggled and struggled, but I couldn't free myself.

"You know what, I just realized something," he said as he walked over to me. I couldn't even make eye contact with him, but I was listening to every word he said. "I don't actually need your help. One of my faithful employees has given me all the information I need to get to Eleven, and I will get to her with or without your help. I would rather not kill you, but you know too much, so I can't let you go either. I will give you one last chance to join me and I will give you a few minutes to think about it."

"If you join me, you can have everything you have always wanted, but if you don't, I will turn the settings on this machine to maximum, and you will die, slowly and painfully. There is one choice for you to make, and I hope you make the right one."

He was right about one thing, there was only one choice that I could make, but it wasn't the choice that he wanted. I was ready to sacrifice my own life to save the lives of the people I care about. Nothing, not even my own life, was worth letting them die, and I had faith in them to do whatever they had to to stop him.

I starting making peace with what was about to happen to me. I didn't want to die, but at least now, I wouldn't be a burden. I wouldn't be the reason why people get hurt or killed. I would be giving up my own life, but if it would save everyone, it would be worth it. As I anxiously awaited my fate, I heard a young, female voice.

"You have got to be kidding me," the voice said.


	45. Resistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will receives some much-needed encouragement from a good friend, and he starts to fight back.

There was no doubt in my mind as to who that voice belonged to. It was the person who had been helping me, the one that I considered to be my sister, Eleven. She wasn't in the room or even at Hawkins Lab. She must have noticed that I was missing and reached out to me using sensory deprivation.

"El?" I said back, knowing that is was her.

"Don't give up," she said back.

"I'm not giving up. I would rather die than join him. I don't want to die, but I'll do it if it saves everyone."

"You can beat him."

"No, I can't" I responded, with tears flowing down my face. "I can't break these chains no matter how hard I try. When he comes back, he's going to kill me."

"You can," she reassured me. "I've seen you use your powers. You have what it takes to break those chains. Just think about how you've gotten your powers to work. We're coming for you, but you have to survive long enough for us to get there."

"How? How?" I asked desperately, but she faded away from my visions. She was gone, and she didn't get a chance to tell me how to unleash my powers, and in came Dr. Brenner.

"What's it going to be?" he asked coldly. I shut my eyes tight, trying to unleash my powers, but they still didn't work.

"A damn shame," he said as he walked over to the machine. My mind started racing. El said that I had the ability to break these chains, but if I really did, why couldn't I do it?

My life flashed before my eyes. I could see everything as clear as if it were right in front of me. I saw my mom, my dad, and Jonathan, from years ago. Then, I was suddenly on my first day of kindergarten, and I saw a young Mike, asking to be my friend. I then fast-forwarded to giving away my toy truck to a sad girl in the park. Next thing I know, I'm meeting Lucas and Dustin. Then, we're playing Dungeons and Dragons, followed by getting lost in the Upside Down, getting rescued, getting possessed by the Mind Flayer, then having him burned out of me. I still don't know how I saw all of those memories in such a short time, but I did, and it was just what I needed, because I learned how to active my powers, through my desire to help others.

As I pictured everyone I cared about, I let out a blood-curdling scream, breaking my restraints. I sat up quickly, turning my head towards the doctor. For the first time ever, he looked genuinely shocked and scared. I got off the table and ran towards him, but he got away. I couldn't let him get away with what he did to me, El, his other test subjects, and who knows who else, so I ran as fast as I could to catch up to him.

He turned a corner and I followed him closely behind, but he wasn't alone. The room was filled with creatures from the Upside Down, and he ordered every one of them to attack me.


	46. The Final Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will faces up against the Demogorgons and Dr. Brenner in a final life and death showdown.

Dr. Brenner was getting away, but I had bigger problems. He had total control of all of the creatures in his lab, and they were all coming after me. I wished that El and everybody else would get here, but I knew there was no way they would be able to get here soon enough to help me, so I was on my own.

Before I could even think of a strategy, I was on the ground. One of the Demogorgons hit me hard in the head from behind. It felt like getting hit with a baseball bat, but I couldn't let myself get killed, so I rolled out of the way before he could deliver the killing blow. There were so many of them that I couldn't even get to my feet before getting knocked down again.

In what seemed like no time at all, I was overwhelmed. Not only werethe creatures strong, but they worked together. They held me down while another one opened up its face. I shut my eyes tightly, awaiting certain death, but, just like what happened moments earlier, I saw visions. I remembered what El had told me, how strong and braveI was, and how I could do almost anything, so I did. I pushed the Demogorgon that opened its face all the way to the ceiling with my mind. It went directly into an active ceiling fan, killing it.

In the confusion, I broke free, pushing creatures into each other and up into the ceiling fan. I had gained the advantage, and the creatures couldn't even retaliate. I had killed all but one of them,but that last one looked familiar. It was the large Demogorgon that El and I couldn't even beat when we teamed up. I may have beaten theother creatures, but they were small and weak by comparison. I didn't think I had any chance of beating him, but I had to try.

I stood tall, staring at him. I wasn't very confident, but I faked it, hoping he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I stood withmy hand out, using the same exact pose I had seen El use so many times. I tried pushing him back, but he brushed it off as if I was tickling him. I tried again, but the only thing I accomplished wasbreaking a few lights and making my own nose bleed.

He charged at me. I tried to duck, but he was too fast, and he knocked me off my feet. My head head the floor hard, and everything was getting blurry. Despite all I had overcome over the past year, Iwas faced with the real possibility that it would all end here. If this had been a year ago, I probably would have stayed down andwaited to die, and part of me wanted to do that, but I willed myself back to my feet.

I used the pipe to help myself stand, but here he was again, charging at full speed. This time, however, I noticed what was happening earlier, and I got out of the way, allowing him to crash into the pipes, busting them open. He opened his face and screamed as the hot steam from the pipes made contact with him. This was my opportunity. I might not have been able to hurt him with my powers, but he could be hurt.

I used every bit of my powers to push him back, and while he was stunned, I grabbed the pipe and aimed all of the steam directly on him. He screamed a terrible, horrifying scream, but he went down. I kept doing that until I was sure that he was dead.

I had no time to celebrate my victory since I knew it was up to me to find Dr. Brenner and make him pay for everything he's done. I randown the halls, unsteady on my feet and still seeing blurs. I wasn't even sure where to look, but I kept pushing forward. I noticed movement and rushed towards it.

My suspicions were correct, and there was Dr. Brenner. Before he could even react to seeing me, I dove on him, tackling him to the ground. I don't remember if he said anything or what he said. I wasso enraged that I couldn't even see straight.

I punched him again and again. He wasn't fighting back, but I didn't care. My hands were hurting terribly from all the times I punched him, but I didn't care about that either. I could barely make out what was going on around me. All I cared about was punishing him for all he put me through, and all he put others through. All of those emotions I had felt from the time I got pulled into the Upside Downwere coming out as anger, and I was putting that into every blow. I didn't even notice that he had lost consciousness, but I did hear a voice.

"Will, stop!" screamed the voice. It belonged to Jim Hopper, the police chief. He ran to me and pulled me off of him.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed, not even aware of who grabbed me.

"Will, it's us," said Hopper as he looked me in the eye. My vision was still blurry, but I could make out Mike, Jonathan, and my mom as well. The room went silent. I was so angry and filled with hate that I had no clue what I was doing. Once I saw Dr. Brenner's face, and what I did to him, I felt sick to my stomach. As much as I hated him, I never wanted to do that to another person.

I didn't know what to say or what I could say. I was so overwhelmed by what had just happened that I burst out into tears. This time, Hopper, Mike, Jonathan, and my mom all embraced me at once. It was along time before anybody spoke up, but there were no words needed. They all knew what I had been through, and despite my violent outburst, I was still loved. For the first time in a long while, I felt some relief.


	47. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike agrees to spend the night at Will's house after his ordeal.

It took some time for me to fully process everything that happened to me, and my mind was racing, but with my family and closest friends by my side, I could finally relax for once. As much as I hated Dr. Brenner for everything he did to me and the people closest to me, I was glad that I didn't kill him. I felt bad enough about killing Demogorgons, and I certainly didn't want his blood on my hands. Even so, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Hopper had not pulled me off of him. Would I have finished the job? Could I have been a murderer?

On the way home, I sat in the back, with Jonathan on one side of me and Mike on the other. It was a tight fit, but it was exactly how I wanted it. Two of my favorite people in the world were right next tome, and their presence helped me feel safe and secure. Only a few words were spoken, but that was okay. Their body language told me everything I wanted to know.

"Will," Mike said, breaking the silence. "Do you want me to stay at your house tonight?"

I nodded.

"We would love that, Michael," Mom said back. She was always so nice to him and he was always welcome in my home.

We stopped off at Hopper's cabin to drop off El. Hopper had to stay back at the lab to arrest Dr. Brenner and study the crime scene, so Mom agreed to take her home.

"Will," she said to me as Mike and I walked her to the door.

"El," I responded, engulfing her in a hug. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I love you."

"I love you too," she said back. Thankfully, Mike was not jealousy. He understood that we loved each other as siblings, and he was happy to see that.

"I'll give you guys a minute," I said to them as I walked back to the car. I smiled as I saw them kissing each other. I wasn't quite ready to look for a girlfriend yet, but I was happy for them.

After a couple of moments, El went inside and Mike headed back tothe car. As much as he loved El, he could tell that I needed him that night, and I really appreciate what he was doing for me.

"I can see why you like her so much," I said to him as he got back into the car. "She's really incredible."

"Hey," he retorted, playfully punching my arm. "She's my girlfriend. Get your own."

"I don't know man," I said back. "I don't think I ever want to fall in love."

"You will," he said, getting serious. "Once you meet the right person, all that will change."

"Maybe, but I'm certainly not ready now. I'm just glad I have you, the party, and my family to look out for me."

"We always will. No matter what happens, we will always be there for each other. I love you, man."

"I love you too."


	48. I Am Not A Victim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and Will spend the day together and Will thinks about everything that happened to him.

With the exhaustion of everything that happened that day and Mike right beside me, I had no trouble getting to sleep. For once, my dreams were pleasant. They were about hanging out with the party, playing Dungeons and Dragons, playing arcade games, sticking together, and having each other's backs no matter what. I truly felt at peace with everything going on in my life.

The next morning, Mike and I played games together, watched old movies, and then met up with Lucas, Dustin, and Max for a quick game of D & D and just hanging out together. It was a pretty nice feeling. It had the joy of old times, before my trip to the Upside Down, but with the added excitement of new experiences. Instead of dreading the future, I was looking forward to it.

At the end of the day, it was decided that it was time for Mike to go. He spent the whole day with me after spending the night. I was glad we got the time to spend together, and he really helped me, but it was time for things to get back to normal.

"Hey Mike," I said before he walked out the door. "Thank you for hanging out with me today."

"Of course," he said. "You're my best friend, my brother. I'm glad we got to do so much."

"Me too," I said tentatively.

"What is it? I can tell something is on your mind."

"Well, I keep thinking about last night, when I was beating up Dr. Brenner."

"That was awesome," he interrupted.

"I think that if Hopper hadn't shown up, I would have killed him.What's wrong with me? Everyone tells me that I'm such a nice person, but how can that be true if I was moments away from killing someone?"

"Will," he whispered, hugging me. "You saved all of us. You're the nicest person I know. If it had been me, I don't think I would have been able to let him live. You're no killer."

"Thanks," I whispered back. "I love you, brother."

"Love you too, my brother."

From that moment on, everything changed for me. Nothing was perfect, but it didn't have to be. For the first time in my life, I felt strong and in control, and it wasn't just because of my new powers. I no longer felt like a victim or a burden on anybody. I am loved by so many people, and I wouldn't give them up for anything. I had more confidence in myself than ever, and I knew I could handle anything that came my way.

I, Will Byers, am not a victim. I no longer have to tell myself that. I believe it. I've been through a lot, but I've come out stronger every time, and I will continue to use that strength along with my new powers to protect everybody that I care about. I have become the hero that I've always wanted to be, and I am truly happy with who I have become.

THE END

A/N: Thank you so much for reading the entire story. This was my first attempt of a fan fiction, so I hope that you enjoyed it. If you did, please leave a comment. If enough people enjoyed this story, I'll write another one, maybe a sequel or maybe a different Stranger Things story. Again, thank you for reading.


	49. New Story!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Story!

Thanks again for reading my story. I appreciate all of your support and love. I'm proud to announce that I have written another story. This story will be Mike's perspective throughout the events of the first two seasons and the events of this story. It's about 1/3 the length of this of this story, but I have a true sequel in the works, so stay tuned!


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